I Wanna Be Your Princess!
by shiroamaya
Summary: Sometimes you have to be crazy to fall in love. Masato/OC, Syo/OC NOT A YAOI (Based on the anime in particular, not the game.) Don't like, don't read, thank you.
1. First Impressions: They Mean Nothing!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: Soooooo funny story, we're kind of at a writer's block for our FMA story right now. But in the meantime, we kinda fell in love with the series Uta No Prince Sama. And we fell HAAAAARD!

Shiro: *whine* Masato-samaaaa~!

Amaya: Syo-kuuuuuun~! *squee* …Uh anyway. *ahem* Yeeeeea our squees could be heard for miles. I'm surprised no one called the cops.  
Shiro: For all of the fans of our FMA story…we sorry, we don't mean to cheat on you!

Amaya: But we'll get back to it though, we promise! We're just taking a little break from it to do something a little more fun and light-hearted. And we just need a little time to figure out where we're gonna go with the story. By the way, if you haven't seen Uta No Prince Sama yet, GO. WATCH. IT. NOW. You will thank me later! Trust me!

Shiro: It's cheesy as FUCK, but it's fun to watch!

Amaya: We're still using the same names, but this story has nothing to do with _Completely Intentional Wrath of the Fangirls._ Just so ya all that being said, enjoy our first chapter of _I Wanna Be Your Princess!_ Oh by the way, _I'm_ gonna be the more crazy, nonsensical one in the story this time!

Shiro: Yea, I'm just the closet crazy here…for once.

Amaya: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: We _wish_ we owned Uta No Prince Sama! But we don't…*cries in the corner*

Chapter 1

Shiro and Amaya gazed up at the towering gates of Saotome Academy, hardly believing that they had actually made it into such an elite school.

"I remember it being…smaller," Shiro commented nervously.

"That's because you were wearing heels that day," Amaya teased. Her voice was cheerful but it still cracked with apprehension.

Shiro glared at her, and gave a deep defeated sigh. "This is what I get for coming here with you," she muttered.

"Oh come on, lighten up," Amaya said with a roll of her eyes. "Do you have to take- everything so seriously?"

"Yes," Shiro answered flatly. "Because if I don't, who will?"

"Does it even matter?"

"Yes."

"Well at least you're straightforward," Amaya sighed in defeat. But then she smiled. "That's why I ignore you!"

"Of course," Shiro mumbled. "Now we have to hurry or we're gonna be late."

"We are?" Amaya paused to look at her watch and gasped. "CRAP! WE ARE!" She grasped her friend's wrist and bolted for the academy doors.

"_This_ is why we come early!" Shiro scolded.

"I _wake up_ early!" Amaya retorted as she ran on. "I just…get distracted on the way over!" A pleasant smile spread across her face, and she slowed to a trot. "Oh by the way, did you see the garden out there? It's gorgeous!"

"Not now!" Shiro shouted in distress.

"Oh, right, running!" Amaya quickened her pace again. But an instant later she stopped dead in her tracks as a blonde blur passed them by.

"Coming through!" the blur shouted with urgency.

Amaya had only caught a sideways glance of the short blonde boy as he ran by, but he had been without a doubt the most adorable person she had ever seen. "His eyes are so blue," she whispered to herself. Stars filled her eyes and she began to ramble incoherently. "His face is so soft, but so determined. He's so short, but he's incredibly fast…how athletic! And that _hat_! How cute!"

As Amaya raved on about the mysterious sprinting boy, Shiro tried to urge her on by pushing her forward. "Hurry up!" she shouted.

"Syo-chaaaaaaaaaan~!"

"Eh?" Both girls turned around to see a very tall guy with glasses and an unsettling smile running after the blue-eyed boy.

"You can't get away from me Syo-chan!" the tall guy called out cheerfully as he breezed past them.

"Shut up! Leave me alone Natsuki!" the blue eyed boy shouted back in panic.

As both guys diminished down the distant halls, Shiro and Amaya blinked in awe.

"So, that's how idols in the making act?" Shiro said disinterestedly. "Great."

"You shouldn't be so condescending, Shiro. We're gonna be idols too!" Amaya pointed out.

"And composers," Shiro reminded her.

The girls had been excited to find out that they could take both the idol and composer courses at once. Though their workload would be nothing to sneeze at.

"Let's just get to class."

~~~~~~~~~~A few minutes later~~~~~~~~~~

"There!" Amaya cried out as she pointed towards their classroom door. She burst through the door, panting heavily from the run. "We're here sens-!…eh?" No decipherable teacher was in sight just yet, but all the students were giving her annoyed and questionable looks. She glared at Shiro as she flushed in embarrassment, "And you were SO worried about being late!"

Shiro sighed in exasperation. "Just go sit down."

Amaya crossed her arms and turned away. "You know I'm right," she argued under her breath.

Shiro turned to the rest of the class, offered a bow and said, "Gomen, minna. She's just an idiot."

"Hey, I heard you!" Amaya snapped.

"No shit, I just told the whole class. Of course you could hear me," Shiro deadpanned.

"Well…yea. But it was still mean!"

"And that's why you have me around."

Amaya threw up her hands in defeat and made her way towards an empty seat.

In spite of her words, Shiro took the seat next to her.

Boredom quickly took over as Amaya glanced around the room, looking at all the other chattering students, almost certain that most of them were currently talking about her strange outburst. A little disappointed sigh escaped her as she noticed that the cute blue-eyed boy from the hall was not here. She leaned over to Shiro and whispered, "So when do you think the sensei is getting he-,"

Suddenly, the curtains drew shut, darkening the room. Multicolored spotlights flitted across the ceiling, causing everyone to look up in awe. "Good morning!" A sprightly voice called out. Seemingly out of nowhere, a very, very, _very_ feminine man in a large pink wig appeared. "Alright everyone, take your seats!" he ordered cheerfully. "I am the very maidenly Ringo Tsukimiya! I'm in charge of this class. Call me Ringo-sensei!"

As the rest of the room gasped at the sight of the popular crossdressing idol, Shiro's eye twitched in disbelief. "Is _anyone_ at this school normal?"

"Why do they need to be normal?" Amaya asked excitedly, not taking her eyes off Ringo-sensei. "That's what makes this school more fun!"

Shiro gave her friend a deathly glare…as usual. "The principal made my eyes bleed."

"…Okay, you got me there," Amaya agreed, shuttering at the memory of the grotesque, eccentric man. "But this school wouldn't be here if it weren't for him, so he deserves our respect in that regard."

"…True," Shiro concurred reluctantly. "Damnit."

"What, were you planning on assassinating him or something?" Amaya asked jokingly.

Shiro only gave her a stone-faced glance.

Amaya swallowed at the menacing gleam in her friend's eye. "Sorry I asked."

"Shiro!" Ringo-sensei called out unexpectedly.

The entire class turned toward the short newcomer.

_Shit_. Shiro cursed mentally, feeling trapped. She stood up from her seat. "Yes, sensei?" she said calmly.

"Why don't you do us the honor of playing the first score of the year on the piano?" Ringo-sensei asked brightly.

_Motherfucking bitch, I don't wanna! _Her less than pragmatic conscience screamed. "Sure sensei," she replied as she made her way to the piano at the back of the class. She sat down and looked at the sheet music before her, not quite making out the notes. There was a long pause and many suspicious whispers throughout the room until at last she said, "Amaya?"

"Eh?" Amaya inquired, looking up at her friend.

"Let me borrow your glasses," Shrio ordered passively.

Amaya frowned. "That was a _command_. I did not hear a 'please'!" she argued.

Shiro's eye twitched as an angry vein ticked on her forehead. "Let me borrow your glasses, _please_."

"That's better!" Amaya exclaimed with a smile as she handed Shiro her thin wire frames.

Without a word, Shiro took them and put them on. The air in the room buzzed as people held back their laughter.

"Now where's my 'thank you'?" Amaya provoked with a triumphant grin.

Shiro gave her a cold stare in return.

Amaya flinched and backed away. "I'm gonna sit down now."

When Amaya took her seat again, Shiro at last began to play. A beautiful melody replaced the chorus of the student's whispers. The soft, slow tune seemed to send warm, comforting vibrations throughout the room.

_How ironic_, Amaya thought, _considering her nature_.

All seemed to be going well, until Shiro hit a single sour note. Though no one else seemed to take much notice, this did not comfort her in the least. Nonetheless, Shiro did not falter in her playing, but she inwardly cursed herself for her mistake.

As she at last finished the melody, the class clapped politely, including Ringo-sensei. "That was great, Shiro!" he commended. Shiro offered no verbal or visual reaction to the praise as she returned to her seat.

"You play so amazingly, Shiro!" Amaya added delightfully.

Shiro's scowl was even more seething than usual. "Don't you ever say that unless it's true!" she snarled.

"Eep!" Amaya cried as she shrank back. "You're so scary sometimes Shiro," she muttered, trying to regain some of her dignity.

"So what? I know I am," Shiro replied snidely.

"You're hopeless," Amaya sighed, turning her attention back to the front.

"Hmm," Shiro grunted. _I can't believe I failed so hard!_ she internally bawled. _But I have to keep trying, if I want to be an idol… _

~~~~~~~~~~Later, at lunch hour~~~~~~~~~~

"Classes on the first day were never this interesting back in middle school!" Amaya exclaimed enthusiastically. "But what's up with all that 'no love allowed' nonsense?"

"Everyone here is training to be a professional," Shiro pointed out. "You can't do that when you're distracted."

"Well yea, love can be distracting," Amaya reluctantly agreed. "But it can also be inspiring!" She threw her arms out with flourish. "Love has inspired some of the most captivating melodies of our time!"

"Okay, then what happens when their heart gets broken?" Shiro retorted cynically.

Amaya slumped in annoyance at her friend's ongoing stream of pessimism. "Well…it's…bad. But, heartbreak has inspired some beautiful work too!"

"Well it's been my experience that when people go through heartbreak they fall into a deep depression, and never get anything done," Shiro replied.

Amaya deflated and groaned. "Hopeless," she sighed. In an attempt to release her frustration, she bonked Shiro hard on the head.

"Owww!" Shiro cried. "What'd I do?"

Amaya smiled. "Oh good! You're awake!" she exclaimed.

Those who surrounded the two looked on in confusion, but otherwise kept walking.

"What are you babbling about now?" Shiro asked, sounding more befuddled than angry now. (a/n Amaya: For the record, she's only a massive bitch in the morning. But when she starts to wake up around lunch, she's a lot nicer…at least in tone. Shiro: Yea, my choice of words still suck. …But I mean them to be nice!)

"You know what I'm talking about," Amaya replied simply.  
"Owww, why'd you have to bonk so hard?"

"Cause you never look on the bright side!"

Shiro stared blankly at her friend, and stubbornly replied, "Well it still is a distraction you know. In any case, we should probably stick to the rules for now."

"Yea I guess," Amaya sighed in defeat. "We just got here, and I guess we don't want to get kicked out too fast."

Shiro raised her brow in suspicion. "'We'?"

"Well, we're in this together right?" Amaya said with enthusiasm.

Slowly, Shiro averted her eyes. "Suuuuure…"

"You don't sound sure," Amaya muttered to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar flash of platinum gold. She turned to see the sprinting boy from this morning talking to a girl with strange yellowish eyes. _It's him, _she thought as she stared in wonder. Suddenly, her hands tightened into fists and her teeth gnashed together. "You know what Shiro?" she said eerily.

"Whaaaat?" Shiro groaned apprehensively.

Amaya was silent for a few more moments. But then she inhaled deeply as if to shout…which she did. "Screw the rules!" she yelled, pointing to the blue-eyed boy. "I will make him _mine_!"

"I don't like where this is going," Shiro cried comically from the embarrassment of everyone staring at them.

Amaya too froze as she recognized the confusion of the crowd. "That was louder than I intended!" she tried to explain to everyone. They all simply shook their heads and turned away. Miraculously, despite the loudness of Amaya's voice, the blue eyed boy did not seem to hear her. She sighed in relief.

After the girls got their lunches and sat down, Amaya could not stop herself from staring at him from across the cafeteria. _He's so far away_, she lamented. _Look at me, look at me, look at me! _

Mortified by her friend's display, Shiro hid her face and trembled slightly. "Amaya, stop," she begged.

"I can't help it, he's just so cute!" Amaya exclaimed, her cheeks reddening.

"But you're making people stare at us…again!" Shiro whined, on the verge of tears as she felt dozens of eyes upon her.

"They're not staring at _us_…they're staring at _me_!" Amaya corrected. Usually, she would be at least half as petrified as Shiro, but those stares didn't seem to matter. "But I don't care anymore," she sighed contently, looking at the blue-eyed boy.

"I…hate…you so much right now!" Shiro half-sobbed, half growled.

At that moment, another more distant pair of eyes fell upon Shiro.

"That's nice," Amaya breathed obliviously, not taking her eyes off him.

"You're so cute!"

Shiro looked up in terror at the man standing over her. It was the other guy from this morning with the unsettling smile!

Her terror intensified as he threw his arms around her, excitedly chattering, "So small! So cute!" Horrified comical tears began to flow down her face.

Amaya broke her gaze long enough to be startled by her friend's predicament. "Shiro!" she cried. She turned to the one with the unsettling smile. "Where did you come from?!"

But the man seemed oblivious to her as he still clung happily to Shiro, who had gone limp in his grasp.

"Natsuki!" An angry voice called out in warning. "Put her down! You're scaring her!"

"Eh?!" Amaya looked up in alarm, recognizing the voice. Her eyes grew wide. _It's him._

"Oh!" the one called Natsuki dropped Shiro, and smiled as if he were innocent. "Sorry, it's just that when I see something so small and cute, I can't help myself!" he explained.

"You better learn to help yourself!" Syo scolded.

Even more tears flowed down Shiro's face as she thought, _Why does everyone have to bring up my size? _

Amaya seemed frozen in her seat as she watched her blue-eyed boy scold Natsuki vigorously. _He's so cute when he's angry_. She clenched her fists tightly, drawing in a forced breath. Suddenly, she bolted out of her seat "Is your name Syo?!" she shouted in question, pointing dramatically to him and nearly touching his face.

"Uh…yes?" Syo replied cautiously.

Heat suddenly blossomed across Amaya's face. _Even his name is short and cute_. She thought back to all the songs she had written in the past. The words seemed to flow easily then. But now she could not think of a thing to say! It felt as if everyone around her could hear her rapidly increasing heartbeat. _Say something say something say something!_ But then the irrational part of her mind took over…

"Yoink!"

Amaya's chair nearly toppled over as she suddenly bolted for the cafeteria door.

For whatever reason, Syo felt as if his head had gotten lighter. "Eh?" He reached up to find that something was missing… "Hey! My hat!" Immediately, he made a dash for Amaya.

Delirium still possessed Amaya's fragile mind. _He's chasing me!_ She thought joyfully as she clutched the hat to her chest. But in a jolt, her sanity (what little of it there was) returned to her. _What am I doing?! He thinks I'm insane!_ (a/n Shiro: You kind of are, Amaya!) "I'm sorry!" she shouted as she tossed the hat behind her, not slowing her run as she exited the cafeteria for the day.

Syo's hat floated to the floor, causing him to stop. He stared after the quickly disappearing Amaya, dumbfounded at what had just transpired. He picked up his hat and turned around, finding that nearly half the cafeteria was looking at him with an odd expression. "What just happened?" he muttered as his brow twitched in irritation.

Back where the odd chase scene had started, Shiro sat slumped in her chair as she sighed. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, and she whispered to herself, "She left me here…alone…with people!" _I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE DID THIS! I'M GONNA KILL THAT BITCH! _She mentally raged, fire in her other half's eyes. She clenched her hand so hard around her fork that if she were to let go of it, imprints of her hand could be shown on the metal.

Little known to her, a stoic bluenette was watching the scene unfold, placidly drinking his tea.

END AUTHOR'S NOTE: Shiro: We have entered a new fandom, Amaya!

Amaya: Indeed. Aren't you glad I showed you this anime?

Shiro: YEEES! MASATO-SAMA!

Amaya: Umm….spoiler alert? Anyway, it's fun being the more crazy one for once! Now I see why Shiro does it all the time!

Shiro: You are only young in my ways grasshopper. *bow*

Amaya: Teach me oh great one!

Shiro: …I want a cookie!

Amaya: …Weeeell anyway! We hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this new series! We'll see you at the next chapter!

Both: *sexy voice* Are you ready?


	2. Wishful Thinking

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Shiro: And now Chapter 2!

Amaya: Well we were asked for an update, so here it is! And don't worry, there's more where this came from I assure you!

Shiro: Oh! And referring to the part were I had to use Amaya's glasses, I can't see very well when I'm tired in the morning.

Amaya: Right. Now that we've got that cleared up, enjoy! ...Syo-kun~ *heart*

Chapter 2

"GAHHHHH Why did I do that?!"

Amaya stood nearly alone on the edge of the lake, still reeling from her encounter and foolish actions. The few others who walked about outside looked on with a mixture of irritation and concern. But she hardly noticed them as she plopped down on the grass and stared up at the sky. "He thinks I'm crazy now. ...Well I _am._ But did he have to find out so soon?!" she groaned and covered her eyes against the glare of the sun. "Why couldn't I have just said 'hello' like a normal person?"

She closed her eyes, a smiling image of Syo coming to mind. "Syo-kun," she whispered. "You're just so cute, I couldn't think rationally to save my life." Amaya clenched her teeth in frustration, suddenly tired of hearing her own voice. _Perhaps its not even him at all_, she thought, though she knew she was kidding herself. _That ridiculous "no love allowed" rule just makes it so much more tempting. _

With a slow, deep breath she at last began to calm down a bit. As she always did when things seemed to be a mess, she attempted to empty her mind of stressful thoughts, and fill it with sweet melodies instead. She let the natural sounds of the rustling trees and the water lapping against the shore wash over her. Aside from the sound of her own content humming, those were the only things she heard.

But no matter what, that image of him would not leave her mind.

All too soon, the bell for class rang, interrupting her temporary peace. Amaya pulled herself to her feet. "Crap, I have to get back to class," she sighed. The color drained from her face as she came to a mortifying realization. "Wait, I left Shiro alone back there. ...SHE'S GONNA KILL ME!"

With that, Amaya rushed back inside the building, ready to face the music...so to speak. She moved so swiftly that she arrived back in the classroom before a majority of the other students. Though predictably, Shiro was already there. _She must have left as soon as lunch was over_. Cautiously, Amaya inched closer. "Hey...friend?"

Shiro tilted her head sideways to look up at Amaya and glared balefully.

Amaya smiled nervously. "Hehehe...I thought so."

This time, it was Shiro's turn to bolt out of her seat, only her chair really _did_ topple to the floor. "YOU INSUFFERABLE, IDIOTIC, BRAINLESS, DIMWITTED, MINDLESS MORON! YOU LEFT ME _ALONE_! WITH A BUNCH OF PEOPLE I DON'T KNOW! WHAT THE _HELL_ IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

Amaya paled as her uh..."friend" raged on. For a few moments, she only stood and waited for Shiro's fury to play out. But Amaya's patience had always been paper thin. "I'M NOT YOUR BODYGUARD YA KNOW!" she at last retorted. An abrupt silence fell over them as she came to a realization. She glanced sideways. Sure enough, everyone was staring. Some were just as blanched as she had been. "Saaaay..._you're_ the one causing a scene now!" she deduced with a devious smile.

Shiro's mind shattered and she fell to her knees, sobbing quietly. "I...hate...you...Amaya," she whimpered like a beaten puppy.

Amaya sweatdropped and tried to console her. "Come on Shiro," she said softly, putting a hand on Shiro's shoulder. "Get up, it's not that bad." When Shiro refused to respond, a majority of her guilt went up in flames at the expense of frustration. "Get up you freaking wuss!"

"You shouldn't cause your friend so much distress," A deep, soft, heart meltingly warm voice said.

"Wha?" Amaya looked up to see a tall, lean young man with icy blue eyes, and ocean tinted hair, a serious expression across his face. A vein ticked in Amaya's temple, "And you shouldn't listen in on other people's conversations!" she argued irritably.

Now ignoring Amaya completely, the bluenette offered a hand to Shiro. "Are you alright?" he murmured soothingly.

"I was talking to you," Amaya muttered insultedly.

"Yes, I'm fi-," Shiro choked on her words as she looked into his eyes, hardly believing she had spoken to him at all.

"You're not helping," Amaya said in a rare moment of seriousness, looking directly at him.

The young man looked at her in question.

"Aside from me, she's practically terrified of people," she explained. "Especially strangers. And you seem pretty strange."

"Look who's talking!" Shiro exclaimed. Her eyes grew wide and her face flushed bright red, realizing she had just spoken in front of him again. "Eep."

"You should probably go sit down," Amaya intervened, still not looking away. "Before you make things worse."

She received nothing more than a vindictive glare from him as he walked away at last.

Amaya sweatdropped and smiled uneasily, sighing in relief that the tense encounter had ended. She could only stand her ground for so long. "At this rate, everyone at this school is gonna hate me."

"Well, now that my emotional outburst is done, I'm going to sit down now," Shiro whispered robotically.

"At least that's over with," Amaya gave a sigh of relief as she slumped down in her seat.

But again, to her horror, Shiro felt a presence above her. "Oh look! It's the cute little bunny!"

"Nooooo," Shiro squeaked, already knowing who it was.

"You again!?" Amaya cried in alarm, spotting Natsuki standing over her friend's desk. "Wait...why'd you call her a bunny?"

"Because she's so cute!" Natsuki replied cheerfully. "And her hair reminds me of large, white bunny ears."

"Why me?" Shiro whimpered.

"Uh...right." Amaya perked up, remembering who had accompanied Natsuki at lunch. Her speech suddenly became frantic and halting. "Um, could you um tell your friend, S-Syo-kun that I'm sorry and stuff? I don't know what was going through my head!"

Natsuki smiled reassuringly. "Syo-chan is such a hothead, but I think he'll understand."

"You shouldn't say stuff like that about him when he's not here!" Amaya countered pointedly. She did not know why she felt the need to defend Syo.

"Well it's true," Natsuki said, his smile never faltering. "But don't worry about it too much. By the way, what is your name?"

"Uh, why?" Amaya asked suspiciously. _Am I _that_ paranoid of this guy_? She thought a moment later.

"Just a simple question," Natsuki replied. This time his smile only grew. "Besides, I'm sure Syo-chan would like to know."

Unwelcome warmth erupted across her face. "I-it's Amaya."

"Okay. See you later, Amaya-chan!" he said in an upbeat tone as he returned to his seat.

"Amaya-_what_ now?!" she cried in alarm.

Despite her depressed state, Shiro pointed and giggled at her friend.

"What are _you_ laughing at Shiro-_chan?_!" Amaya snapped.

Shiro froze. Amaya could practically hear her neck creaking as she slowly turned towards her, a malevolent glint in her eye. "I _know_ you did not just call me Shiro-chan."

"Uhh...san! I said san!" Amaya quickly corrected herself.

"That's. What I thought."

"Hello class!" After what seemed like an eternity, Ringo-sensei had called his class to attention. It was almost as if he were just standing back to enjoy the drama that was unfolding. "Let's get started!"

~~~~~~~~~~At the end of the day~~~~~~~~~~

After a seemingly endless day, Shiro and Amaya were at last headed back to their dorm. Despite how impatient Shiro often became with Amaya, she was secretly glad they were roommates. She did not know how she could have possibly kept calm living with a strange girl. ...Well, strange in the unknown sense that is.

"Soooooooooo," Amaya broke the silence. "What was _that_ face about?"

"What face?" Shiro asked, genuinely lost.

"You know what face," Amaya teased. "That blue-haired guy from class. That face wasn't your usual fearful expression."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Shiro averted her eyes. "You're just delusional after making a fool of yourself with that short boy."

"How many times are you gonna bring that up!?" Amaya snapped in abashment as her face reddened again.

"As many times as I want. Speaking of which, isn't that him over there?"

"WHAT?!" Amaya looked off in the direction Shiro pointed.

There stood Syo, leaning against a tree, tapping a pen against his chin in contemplation while staring intently at a blank notepad.

"It _is_ him," Amaya answered absently. Everything and everyone around her seemed to disappear until there was only him. "Syo-kun," she said under her breath.

Almost as if he had heard her, Syo's head turned and his eyes locked with hers.

"Ahh!" The shock of it had been enough to bring Amaya back to reality. "Hide me!" she cried, crouching behind Shiro, uncharacteristically timid all of a sudden.

"Huh?" Shiro looked side to side in confusion. She stepped aside and looked at her slightly trembling friend. "What is wrong with you? You're at least five inches taller than him!"

"That's not the problem!" Amaya cried, still not looking up.

"Then what _is_ the problem?"

"I don't knooooow!"

"...Wait a minute," Shiro's rare smile suddenly became akin to Natsuki's. "Yes you do," she teased.

"No I don't! What are you talking about?! I do _not_ have a crush on him!" Amaya whisper-screamed. _She didn't say anything about a crush!_ Her brain warned her a few seconds too late.

"Uh-huh," Shiro continued to smile "innocently". "In any case, he's coming this way."

"HE'S _WHAT_?!" Amaya lifted her head just enough to see Syo walking towards her. Secretly, she wished that her shaking legs would stay rooted to the sidewalk. Long enough for him to get close to her at the very least. But to her dismay, a rush of panic overcame her. She hardly stayed put long enough to read his expression as she hastily departed. "I'll see you at the dorm!" She frantically called back to Shiro.

"Okay," Shiro sighed as she closed her eyes, hardly surprised anymore. She turned to see that Syo had stopped walking towards them. But now his large blue eyes were on her, his expression asking for some sort of explanation. Shiro took a breath as if she were about to justify Amaya's strange behavior. But instead, she only let out another sigh, hanging her head as she walked away.

Syo's shoulders fell in agitation. _Are you kidding me? _He thought. Defeated and not in the mood to pursue her, he turned back to his notepad.

Not wanting to go straight back to the dorm room just yet, Shiro made a detour to the lake. She looked out at the sparkling water as the colors of the sunset swirled within it. But she was quick to return her gaze to her feet as she circumscribed the lake. Not bothering to look where she was going, as usual, she staggered to the ground having run into what she thought was a tree. "Owww...," she mewled as she rubbed her forehead. Upon looking up, she spotted the "tree"...and his icy blue eyes. "Eep," she squeaked. Practically all of the color left her face, looking as though she were about to pass out.

"My apologies," he said stoically. "I should have looked where I was going."

Shiro gasped inwardly. _You were looking down too?! We have so much in common! _"I...I...," she stuttered. His face was the last thing she saw before the world went black.

~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile, in the girls' dorm~~~~~~~~~~

Amaya groaned as she slumped down on her bed. Unopened boxes filled with her belongings surrounded her, but she did not feel like rifling through them right now. Her mind was already full of clutter, and she did not wish for her room to be littered with it to. "Why didn't I talk to him? Or at least apologize...again." she sighed regretfully. "Oh right...BECAUSE I'M FRIKKIN STUPID!" She threw her pillow over her head as she shouted, so as not to disturb any neighboring dorms. "Why are you so stupid, Amayaaaaa?" she whined to herself, comically crying.

Heedless of the warnings from her head, her heart brought back the image of Syo leaning against the tree in the courtyard, tapping his pen to his chin and staring at his notepad as if he were mentally commanding words to spring off the page. "So cute," she whispered, her smile returning despite herself as she squeezed her pillow in her arms.

She was nearly startled from her bed as she heard a light knock at the door. "Oh come _on_," she groaned. Sluggishly, she rose from the bed and sauntered towards the door. "Shiro, you know you have a key r-" Amaya stopped in mid-sentence as she opened the door.

There stood the tall ocean-haired young man from class, cradling an unconscious Shiro in his arms.

Amaya blinked in awe, still looking at only him. "You're not Shiro," she pointed out casually. She directed her stare downward. "But that is!" She looked incredulously between the two, suspicion mounting. "Wait! Why the fu-!"

"She passed out at the lake," he explained calmly. "I found the room number on her ID, and brought her back here." He nonchalantly walked past Amaya and placed Shiro on one of the beds.

_Hey...that's my bed!_ Amaya thought in a huff. She raised up her finger as if to protest, but his eerie stone-faced calmness kept her silent. "Uh..." was the only thing she could manage to get out before he walked out and closed the door behind him. Turning back to Shiro, she slumped in defeat. _Great, now I've got to wake her up. _

Shiro stirred but did not wake as Amaya cautiously poked her face. "Shirooooo? ...Shiro!" After a few more minutes of poking, pinching, and shaking, Amaya gave up. _Such a heavy sleeper!_ She thought, amazed and irritated at the same time. She leaned over and stared hard at her friend, as if telepathically trying to lift her from the bed.

Unexpectedly, Shiro let out a small groan, and her eye twinged a bit.

"Shiro?" Amaya questioned as she noticed her slight movement.

"AHHH!" _SMACK_!

"OWW!" Amaya cried in pain, clutching her burning right cheek. "What was that about?!"

"Don't get so close to my face," Shiro warned coldly. "...Wait, how did I get back?"

A mischievous grin replaced Amaya's painful grimace. "Ohhhhh, you're gonna _love_ this!"

"...I'm gonna go to my own bed," Shiro grumbled as she stood up.

"Don't you wanna hear what happened?" Amaya whined eagerly.

"Not really," Shiro answered as she dropped upon her own bed. "But you're gonna tell me anyway, aren't you?"

"A-yep!" Amaya chirped. "Remember that blue-haired guy from class? The one who spoke up for you?"

Shiro's face began to glow, "Er, um...," she deflected her gaze to the floor.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'!" Amaya continued. "He told me that you passed out at the lake, and he brought you back here." Just to provoke Shiro even further, she filled her voice with dramatic emotion. "It was beautiful! He was almost like a knight who was carrying a fallen princess! So romantic!"

"Shut. Up. Amaya." A livid aura emanated around her. _Hehe, he's totally into us,_ her other side chuckled. "SHUT UP!"

Amaya flinched in alarm. "I didn't even say anything that time!"

"Not _you_!"

"Oh, right," Amaya replied in understanding. _You think I'd be used to this by now._

~~~~~~~~~~Across campus, in another dorm~~~~~~~~~~

"What was all that about today?" Syo wondered out loud, leaning back on his bed. He flipped the hat that he had almost lost today over and over in his hands, thinking of her all the while. "That strange girl, I thought she was trying to steal it, but then she just...gave it back." He sat up and threw his arms into the air in frustration. "Who _does_ that?!"

"Apparently _she_ does," Natsuki deadpanned, his customary near-permanent smile on his face.

Syo groaned as he fell back into place, spinning his hat around on his hand. "That still doesn't explain anything," he muttered begrudgingly.

"She's friends with that cute little bunny I met during lunch. She's in my class too, I even spoke with her this afternoon," Natsuki informed. "Her name is Amaya. She asked me to tell you that she was very sorry. She just didn't know what was going on in her head."

"Amaya?" Syo echoed. "Crazy girl. She sounds too much like you," he grumbled. But then he shook his head and chuckled. "Well, maybe I shouldn't say something _that_ cruel."

"You don't really mean that, Syo-chan," Natsuki replied playfully, not feeling the least bit insulted.

"Right," Syo uttered dismissively with a roll of his eyes. "Unlike you, at least she was pretty."

Natsuki looked at Syo, his eyes shining with curiosity and delight at the opportunity before him. With his own brief laugh, he asked precariously, "So, you think she's pretty?"

Syo stiffened, turning beet red as his hat tumbled from his hand. "No! No I don't!" he shouted stubbornly with a slight stutter. "Don't change the subject! I was just making a comparison!"

"Aww, so you think she's ugly?" Natsuki said, feigning disappointment. "That's not nice, Syo-chan."

"No! I-I was...I just...AHHHHH!" Syo yelled in defiance, all but shaking with rage. "Damnit, do you ever stop?! You're impossible, Natsuki!"

Natsuki laughed, with more mirth this time. "You're so cute, Syo-chan!"

"STOP SAYING THAT!"

~~~~~~~~~~In yet another dorm~~~~~~~~~

"What kept you out so late?" Ren asked suggestively as his roommate at last arrived.

Masato did not bother to offer an answer as he strode to his side of the room.

"Was it a lady?" Ren egged on as he tossed a dart, hitting the bull's eye as always.

Masato's hands balled into tight fists. Though he still said nothing.

"So it _was_ a lady," Ren concluded coolly. "It seems you've finally become a man." A scathing glare fell upon him, but Ren's face did not lose it's devious edge. He twirled a second dart around his fingers and propositioned, "Perhaps I could meet her."

At last, Masato spoke. "I won't allow it!" he vowed firmly.

"So you've fallen in love already?" Ren said, his expression only becoming more crooked. "And to think, a traditionalist like you breaking the rules so quickly."

Masato turned away, though his seething gaze still seemed as if it would burn through the wall. He took his place on the floor and began to meditate, attempting to clear his mind. _I should tell myself that she's nothing to me_, he thought. _...but I cannot lie to myself. _

END AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: Oooooh, shit's 'bout to get _real_!

Shiro: So he does loves me! Yaaaays!

Amaya: And Syo loves me too! ...he just doesn't realize it yet.

Shiro: Riiiiiiiight. Just keep telling yourself that.

Amaya: Well it's true! Especially considering what we've got planned for the next few chapters...but you'll all have to wait for that!

Shiro: See you next times!


	3. Poor Ren

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: Okay, so we're gonna turn off our crazy for a minute here. For anyone who just wants to laugh and get in a good mood, please skip over this part and get to the actual story. This author's note is mainly just addressing one particular review. First of all, thank you for pointing out our misrating, this story is now rated M to better suit the content.

Shiro: And also, we do slightly agree with the point you made. However, the way you presented those points was so rude that it pointed out your own immaturity. Perhaps you need to grow up a little more to enjoy funny fanfiction.

Amaya: Yea, if it wasn't blindingly obvious here, we're not really taking this all that seriously. As much as I love Uta Pri, I will admit that it is silly and melodramatic as hell. So not only should you not take this fic all that seriously, you should not take the original show all that seriously either.

Shiro: Addressing the characters, they go out of character all the time. Hell, they even point it out at one point! Plus, it's hard to fully capture a person's behavior and character all at once just from a few shows. Especially when the series isn't very long yet.

Amaya: And honestly, how many of you can name a fanfiction where the canon characters' personalities matched perfectly with the original. Especially in a shipping fanfiction. Maybe one in a thousand.

Shiro: If that! And also, the "they fell in love too quickly thing" Masato fell in love with Haruka in like the _third_ episode! _And_ expressed it with a song!

Amaya: And Syo hasn't technically fallen in love with me yet, in all honesty. He just slipped up, called me pretty, and got embarrassed by it. That's not love. ...Yet.

Shiro: Plus, the whole story is about how they try to figure out how to talk to each other about liking each other. And if you don't like our story, don't read it!

Amaya: If you wish to further violate your brain with our immaturity, keep reading. If not, you are welcome to stop.

Disclaimer: We do not own Uta Pri. Damnit.

Chapter 3

~~~~~~~~~~One morning, three weeks later~~~~~~~~~~

Amaya was sitting on a bench overlooking the lake, staring blankly at a list of phrases, many of them with crossed out words or half-erased. The phrases were supposed to be lyrics, though Amaya had not yet figured out how to arrange them just yet, or if all of them would even be in the same song. She had been trying to figure out some kind of pattern all morning, but she couldn't keep her focus. Her mind was on Syo again. It had been so long since the hat swiping incident, but she still felt her shame wash over her each time she saw him. More than anything, she wanted to speak to him. Or at least allow him to speak to her without making a break for it! But she feared of doing something foolish again, or something even worse.

"Syo-kun," she whispered to herself. Even just saying his name brought warmth to her body. "Ugh. Amaya, you idiot. Why does speaking have to be so much more difficult than singing?"

But then, the sound of a velvety smooth voice behind her interrupted her thoughts.

"Hello, my lady."

"Huh?" Amaya turned and recognized the figure of Jinguji Ren standing before her. She knew him as the (in)famous womanizer of the school, and the successor of the Jinguji conglomerate._ He really does have permanent bedroom eyes, _she observed. "Uhhh...hi?" _He didn't possibly come over here to hit on _me_...did he? _She thought_. I'm sure Syo must have told the entire S class what a crazy ditz I am._

But much to her surprise, Ren took his place beside her and leaned in close. "I saw you sitting over here all alone. You reminded me so much of a little lost kitten," he took Amaya's hands and pulled even closer, barely a few inches from her face now. "_My_ beautiful lost Kitten. Would you like to come home with me? I promise to keep you safe and warm," he assured, giving her a wink.

Amaya pulled back, smiling uneasily despite her disgust. "Thanks, but um... you're too tall for me," she replied, almost laughing.

Ren's seductive smile did not falter. "If I cannot have you, my Kitten," he said as he took her face in one hand, pulling her close again. "Can I at least have a parting kiss?"

_This is not happening right now, _she thought as her own smile tensed into something more akin to a grimace. She pulled back her arms, ready to give Ren a forceful shove, or more if need be. But Amaya never got that chance before...

"_**REEEEN**_!"

~~~~~~~~~~Not far from there~~~~~~~~~~

_It's been a long time since I've seen her up close_, Syo thought, walking peacefully through the quiet Saotome courtyard. For reasons he could not comprehend, lately he had found himself missing the eccentric purple-haired girl. Initially, he had kept an eye on her out of suspicion. But he could not help notice her undeniable appeal despite her neurosis. These strange feelings had begun one evening last week. He had been walking this very same path, when suddenly he had heard the sweet, gentle strumming of a guitar from above. He knew it was ridiculous to think that the sound was coming from the heavens, yet that had been his first thought nonetheless. But it had been no celestial being. It had been her. There she had been, perched on the roof of the school, looking out over the silver moonlit skyline and smiling contently as she played her hauntingly beautiful tune. Syo's mood had been absolutely horrid that day, primarily as a result of his mounting stress from the idol course, and Natsuki's awful cookies he had been forced to taste the night before. And yet, her song had brought a smile to his face in spite of everything.

Before, Syo had always been a bit leery of her. But after that night, after hearing her music...

_ ...Amaya. That was her name, right? _He thought._ Natsuki told me once, but she's never told me herself. Every time she sees me, she runs away as if I'll attack her or something. _His mind drifted back to the first day of school, when she had snatched his hat right off his head. And how he had reacted in his usual fashion. _Did I really sound _that_ angry when I ran after her that time? _he asked himself with a sweatdrop.

His thoughts were interrupted as he spotted two silhouettes against the lake, sitting on a bench and leaning in close to one another. They both looked very familiar...

"Amaya?" Syo wondered aloud in surprise. But then his heart clenched uncomfortably as he recognized the person leaning over her. "Ren?!" Almost instantaneously, every cell in his body seemed to light aflame with outrage. "_**REEEEN**_!" he shouted a second time as he shot across the courtyard at incredible speed, headed straight for them.

Ren hardly had a second to turn around before he was tackled to the ground by the tiny idol-in-training.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING WITH HER?!" Syo demanded as he clutched Ren's collar in his black-painted fingers and banged the playboy's head against the ground.

Amaya watched the display with eyes so wide that they felt as if they would fall from her sockets. She was at least half convinced that she was dreaming. "S-S-S-Syo-kun?!" she stuttered in disbelief.

Ren winced as his head started to throb, barely believing that someone so small could have such strength. But as always, his cocky smile returned. "I was only saying hello to my Kitten."

"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF 'HELLO' WAS THAT?!" Syo yelled in rage. "AND WHY DID YOU CALL HER KITTEN?! HER NAME IS AMAYA!"

_He...knows my name_, Amaya thought dreamily. She felt as if she would melt into the ground right then and there.

"AND SHE'S _NOT_ YOURS! SHE'S-," Syo stopped dead in his words, taken aback by the thought that echoed what he had not said. The fire in his eyes vanished as he blushed maddeningly.

"She's what?" Ren challenged, more intrigued than ever.

Syo's teeth were clenched so hard he thought they might break. Slowly, he looked up at Amaya, a look of pure shock still on her face.

_She's...She's..._

This time, it was him that ran away.

Amaya watched him go, somehow managing to get to her feet despite feeling drained of all strength. She looked down at Ren, who slowly sat up and rubbed the back of his aching head. While taking a cautious step back, she simply said, "I'm...gonna go now."

With that, she left Ren alone on the grass.

~~~~~~~~~~Later, around noon~~~~~~~~~~

Amaya and Shiro sat side by side in the Saotome cafeteria as always. A certain bluenette was watching them from the corner of his eye close by. Or he was watching at least _one_ of them.

"You look oddly flustered today," Shiro commented casually to Amaya. "Did you have an eventful morning?"

"Oh, you have _no_ idea!" Amaya exclaimed. "But it's not like I'm gonna tell _you_."

"...Okay then," Shiro replied.

"Hey! You were supposed to ask me anyway!" Amaya cried.

"Forgive me, I haven't eaten much yet," Shiro responded, poking at her plate with her fork.

"I _know_ that's not why you don't care."

"True that."

Amaya sighed, smiling pleasantly to herself. "It was a wonderful morning though," she whispered. "Well...accept for when Ren almost...uhhh nevermind."

Shiro looked at her in almost alarm. "What?"

"Oh, so _now_ you're interested!" Amaya snapped as she crossed her arms and turned away.

"Talk of the most famous flirt in school? Of course I'm interested!" Shiro exclaimed.

"Well, if you're sure," Amaya began. "Ren almost kissed me this morning while I was trying to work on our latest idol assignment. But then...but then..." she trailed off with a content sigh, hugging herself in delight at the memory.

"Maaaybe I..._don't_ wanna know," Shiro said cautiously. "Just go ask the nurse for an STD test later."

Amaya snapped back to attention, paling in disgust. "For god's sake Shiro! He didn't mount me!"

"Well, there's a big surprise," Shiro muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Yesterday Amaya might have said, "He can't be that bad." But after this morning, she wasn't so sure.

"So, did you get any progress done with the assignment?" Shiro asked.

"Um...not really. I didn't really add to what I came up with yesterday anyway," Amaya admitted. "Considering what happened, I was a bit...distracted."

"Told you," Shiro deadpanned.

"Shut up!" Amaya retorted.

But then at that moment, Shiro felt warm breath in her ear. "Hello, Little Mouse," a seductive voice said.

A shutter raced up Shiro's spine. _Why does everyone refer to me as a rodent?!_ Her inner self screamed in rage. 

"Hi Ren," Amaya greeted uneasily. Though her tone made it sound like a threat.

Ren's eyes shifted to look at her. "I'm sorry, my Kitten. You had your chance," he said with a slight bow.

"...Uh-huh." Amaya simply turned away and took a bite of her sandwich.

"Now as for you," Ren continued, turning back to Shiro. "I hear you have quite a talent with your fingers," he said, vaguely referring to her piano skills.

Shiro paled in repulsion, pushing away her food tray. "I'm not hungry anymore," she squeaked.

"Oh?" Ren said, his lips still in her ear. "But I am."

The sound of shattering ceramic could be heard close by. Masato's tea cup had been reduced to shards in his hand.

_Oh no! He's hurt! He's bleeding! HE'S GONNA DIIIIE!_ Shiro's inner voice screamed in panic.

But then, apparently ignoring the pain, Masato charged for Ren, fury burning in his eyes.

_Not again_, Ren thought, his cool expression making a rare break for panic.

Masato's fist flew through the air, throwing all of his weight behind the punch as it impacted with Ren's face. Ren fell to the ground, his nose gushing blood as he groaned in pain.

Totally ignoring the fallen Ren, Shiro stood up and took Masato's injured hand. "Oh my gosh, you're hurt!" she cried, uncharacteristically vocal. "Here, sit down, I can fix this!" She turned away only for a moment to retrieve some bandages from her bag.

"Why do you carry bandages around?" Amaya asked in confusion. What she really wanted to know was how the hell Shiro had managed to speak to him without passing out yet. But she did not want to shatter the illusion just yet.

"Because one day you're gonna do something stupid enough to get one or both of us hurt," Shiro replied.

Amaya rolled her eyes and did not bother to respond.

As Shiro finished her handiwork, she gave Masato a genuine smile. "There, all fixed up." Her eyes popped open in shock. _...I talked to him...I'm touching him! _She clung to his hand a moment longer before she fell out of her chair, unconscious.

"Thaaaat's more like it," Amaya said. Truthfully, she was a bit impressed by the fact that Shiro had stayed calm for so long. A whole minute and a half!

Masato looked down at Shiro, his face slightly discolored as he tentatively touched his bandaged hand. He walked away in a daze, as if he didn't know where he was going.

"Hey! Prince Charming! Where do you think you're going?" Amaya called after him in annoyance. But Masato did not seem to hear her. "Oh, so now I gotta carry her? Great!"

Ren, who had still not received help from anyone, managed to stagger to his feet, his hand covering his bleeding nose. _That's it, no more flirting today_, he thought begrudgingly as he too walked away in a sulk.

~~~~~~~~~~In the hallways~~~~~~~~~~

Masato wondered listlessly down the halls of Saotome Academy, still staring at his injured hand. Lost in thoughts, he attempted to flex his fingers, flinching in the process. _Her touch was so gentle,_ he thought. At last, he managed to grip his hand into a fist, still wincing from the pain. _There's no denying it now. _Masato looked up to find he had already made his way back to his classroom, though it was expectantly vacant. Not wanting to go back to the lunchroom, he simply leaned against the wall to await his next class. _If I cannot deny it, how can I reveal this beautiful truth to her? _He clenched his hand even tighter as he remembered the Academy's one rule. _Or should I say anything at all? That one damn rule..._

After a few more minutes ticked by, at last a second pair of footsteps echoed in the empty hallways._ I hate going to the nurse. Especially twice in one day!_ Ren lamented as he tenderly poked his bandaged nose. _He's surprisingly strong. ...He _and_ Syo. _

Masato, taking no notice of Ren, glared off into space, silently cursing that one dreaded rule. Unknowingly at that moment, the space he was staring at happened to be Ren as he passed by.

Ren froze where he stood. _Today is _not_ my day! _He resisted the urge to flinch as Masato's gaze burned through him, keeping one hand in his pocket in an attempt to look relaxed. _Anywhere but the face_, he inwardly pleaded. …_I take that back. _

The bell rang for class, but neither of them moved. Masato still glared at what he _thought_ was empty space, and Ren stood still as if he were about to be struck by a cobra.

Within barely a minute, the two infamous girls were, as always, the first to arrive back at class. Shiro, apparently having recovered from her fall in the lunch room, looked up at her blue-haired savior. _Don't turn red, don't turn red_, she commanded herself, her expression just as stoic as Masato's. Seconds ticked by, and still she managed to keep her rising blush under control.

Amaya however, was more occupied by the interesting scene before her. She looked back and forth between Masato, and an unusually tense Ren. A devious grin spread across her face as she surveyed Ren's injuries. _Imma mess with him!_ She decided. "Hi Ren!" she greeted cheerfully, giving him a mockingly sweet smile.

Unfortunately, at that exact moment, Syo Kurusu happened to walk by. But he stopped as he heard Amaya's seemingly more than friendly greeting towards the playboy. His heart clenched in the same way it had this morning. He reached up and pulled his hat down, hiding his face in its shadow.

Amaya spotted him from the corner of her eye and felt as if her spirit had left her body. "No! It's not like that!" she blurted frantically. "Me a-and him...and us...and _**NO!**_... and...and...," she hid her own face in her hands. "Damnit," she whimpered as she cried comically. She hung her head and whispered, "I'm just gonna go to class now."

Shiro briefly glance back at him and said flatly, "Hello Kurusu-san."

"Why are _you_ talking to him?!" Amaya whispered furiously.

"Just keep walking," Shiro provoked tiredly.

Shiro crossed Masato's path as she pushed Amaya through the doorway. As soon as Masato was completely behind her, his face blazed bright red.

The very moment the classroom door shut behind the girls, both Masato and Syo glowered at Ren with all their ferocity. The playboy sweatdropped nervously and _finally_ began to walk away. Though he did not feel any safer as he sensed Syo's angry aura behind him. _Why does he have to be in the same class as me? _

_Drop dead_, Syo growled in his mind as mental daggers flew into Ren's back.

Ren knew it would be unwise to further provoke him, but he could not resist asking as he reached the S class door, "Why are you so angry?"

Syo froze and his face flushed slightly. But his flustered expression was quickly diminished by his everlasting temper. "I'm not angry!" he shouted indignantly. "I just don't trust you around women!"

"You've seen me with plenty of women," Ren retorted, his smile at long last returning. "Why get so heated up over that one?"

Syo remained silent for a few moments, eye twitching and his knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists hard. At last, he growled in frustration and shoved Ren to the side. "Get out of my way!" he commanded as he stomped into the classroom.

"Mmm, feisty little one, aren't you? I bet the Kitten would like that," Ren murmured suggestively.

"SHUT UP!" Syo yelled as the heat in his face flared.

A few doors down, in the A class, a similarly interesting scene was transpiring.

"Whyyyy," Amaya whined to herself. "Every time he's near me I somehow mess _everything_ up!"

"Mm-hmm," Shiro agreed nonchalantly as she flipped through a book.

In desperation, Amaya clutched Shiro's shoulders and shook her sporadically. "Is it karma, Shiro?! Is God punishing me?!" on her last word, she hugged Shiro tightly.

"Not as much as he's punishing me," Shiro muttered. "You're still here."

As the rest of the class A students began to file in, Masato finally followed them. He was only a few steps in before he spotted the girls embracing. _Don't tell me she's..._A crestfallen expression appeared on his heated face.

Taking a break from her frenzy, Amaya looked up to see Masato's unusually emotive face. She shifted her eyes back and forth quickly. Promptly, she released her friend, dropping Shiro to the ground.

With a gasping breath, Shiro commanded hotly, "Stop...hugging...me, you dimwit!"

"What do you mean 'stop'? I haven't hugged you in practically two weeks!" Amaya argued.

"I would prefer _never_!"

Already exhausted by the day's events, and at a loss for a witty response, Amaya simply stuck out her tongue.

"Do you want to _lose_ that tongue?!" Shiro warned.

"Why don't you lose _your_ tongue?!" Amaya snapped. "You hardly use it on anyone but me!"

Masato's eyes widened and his face darkened into a bloody crimson. _WHAT?!_

"I know I don't talk to anyone!" Shiro retorted, unwittingly clarifying Amaya's meaning. "And ya know why?! Because people suck! I _hate_ people! People are _taller_ than me! There's like...I can count the number of people on my hand that I like that are taller than me! And you're half of one!"

Masato hung his head in despair. _She despises me._

"Aha! You just admitted we're friends!" Amaya pointed out.

"I just tolerate you! I only like one and a half people! I consider you half a person!" Shiro corrected.

Amaya's brow twitched in annoyance. But then she perked up in curiosity, "Wait, you don't even like anyone in your _family_. Who could be this other one whole person? ...Or is it two half people?!"

Shiro glowed bright red and plopped down in her seat. "None of your business!" she snapped. She glanced sporadically over to Masato.

Masato's despair vanished, staring at his desk in awe. _There's hope?_

Amaya glanced back and forth between them, bopping herself in the forehead in memory. "Duh," she muttered to herself. But then she smiled and said with a sarcastically joyous wriggle, "Prince Charming."

"Shut up!" Shiro demanded through gritted teeth.

The familiar phrase echoed in Masato's mind. _Does she mean...me?_ He looked over to the chatting pair, who he now knew were completely platonic, in the likeness of a hopeful puppy.

Suddenly, a very femmy, yet at the same time masculine voice called out joyfully, "Good afternoon, class!" Ringo-sensei strode in with his usual sunny disposition. "I have decided to start my own personal project. I am going to figure out a way to enhance all of the idols' appeals!" He directed his gaze toward the back of the class. "I started with _you_, Shiro!" A sly smile spread across his womanly features. "Would you like to know what I came up with?"

_…Not...really, no_, Shiro thought horrifyingly as Ringo-sensei crossed the room. "...Do I have a choice?"

Ringo-sensei only offered a smile as he plunked a fuzzy pair of cat ears on Shiro's head. "Don't they just look adorable? And they're realistic too! They move depending on your emotions!" he explained brightly. But then his mirth disappeared seamlessly as he glared at Shiro authoritatively. "I don't want to see you take them off," he ordered.

Utterly mortified, Shiro thought. _That means I have to come to class like this every day? _But with a defeated sigh she thought, _At least it can't get any worse._

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Ringo-sensei chirped, his vigor returning as he presented Shiro with a matching cat tail. "Go behind the piano and put it on."

Shiro's new ears sagged in dejection. "Yes, sensei," she half-sobbed. After attaching the tail, she returned to her seat with her ears flattened and the tail between her legs, looking even smaller than she usually did.

Amaya giggled at the sight. "Now _you're_ the Kitten." 

Ears flattening more in anger than humiliation now, Shiro glowered at her friend, tail swishing impatiently behind her.

Masato tried to resist glancing over to her, but...failed. _...Precious, _he thought as he blushed slightly. 

Later that night, in the dorm~~~~~~~~~~

"Ugh," Amaya groaned as she looked at her stack of assignments before her. "I can't focus."

"We've already got twice the work dumped on us," Shiro grumbled. "And I'm trying to concentrate, so will you shut up?"

"I know you can't concentrate either!" Amaya argued. "By the way, are you gonna take those things off?"

Shiro's ears twitched in agitation. "Shut up! If I take them off, I won't have the courage to put them back on."

With a second groan, Amaya fell back heavily on her bed. "That's not the only thing we're lacking courage in," she muttered.

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on! Quit playing dumb!"

Anger flared on Shiro's features, her tail fluffing out. "I'm not playing anything! Especially dumb! That's _your_ thing!"

"My grades are just as good as yours!" Amaya retorted, a vein ticking in her temple.

"I wasn't talking about grades!"

Electric energy fizzled in the room as the girls stared each other down.

As usual though, Amaya was the first to break the silence. "We have to do something about this," she said with a sigh.

"Our fighting?" Shiro asked as her ears twitched in confusion.

"Nah, not that. That's become normal at this point," Amaya said.

"Then what?"

Amaya eye twitched in disbelief. "You _know_ what!" She tossed a hardcover dictionary at Shiro's head, attempting to knock some sense into her. However, she missed.

"Ehehehe...you missed," Shiro mocked. "But seriously, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Wow," Amaya sighed. "Your grades may be good, but when it comes to love, you're clueless."

"...Love?"

Amaya facepalmed and walked across the room to retrieve her dictionary. Upon picking it up, she flipped through the pages and landed her finger on a certain four letter word. "Love: attraction based on sexual desire : affection and tenderness felt by lovers."

"A-a _what_ desire?!" Shiro stuttered. "And I know what love is! But what does it have to _do_ with anything?"

Amaya tossed the dictionary over her shoulder, blushing slightly at what she had just said. "Okay, maybe the official definition doesn't suit our situation," she admitted. "But come on, you figured out how I felt about Syo a long time ago. And I figured out the same with you and Prince Charming."

"...Who?"

"AHHH! Masato, damnit!"

"Hijirikawa-san?" Shiro repeated, warmth rising in her face.

"See?! That face! That one right there!" Amaya claimed triumphantly, practically poking Shiro's nose.

"...Okay, you have a point," Shiro finally admitted. "God it pains me to say that!"

"But what can we do?" Amaya whispered. "We can't keep avoiding them at every turn."

"You're the one who's doing the avoiding," Shiro corrected.

"Well at least I don't faint!"

"You wanna _go_?!"

"Wait, wait, we need to focus!" Amaya reminded her. "Between the two of us, we should be able to come up with something!"

Shiro averted her eyes in typical fashion. "I'll think about it when I'm done with my assignment."

"I guess you have a point," Amaya reluctantly concurred.

As she returned to her bed, the room fell silent.

_What can we do?_ They pondered and unison.

END AUTHOR'S NOTE: Shiro: Aaaand done!

Amaya: Despite that little um...bump in the road there, we still had fun with this!

Shiro: Yea, wonderful fun! Laughed our asses off too.

Amaya: As we always do. Reviews are very much appreciated!

Shiro: But if you're going to review, please be respectful.

Amaya: Constructive criticism is welcome as long as its not accompanied by rudeness.

Shiro: Dude, there's a reason why people are into anime. People are generally not that rude to their own kind!

Amaya: Right. Until next time, bye!


	4. Raining Starlight

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: Yay! Apparently I'm awesome! How come I never knew this before...

Shiro: I'm not awesome? *puppy face*

Amaya: Of course you are! It's just not in writing!

Shiro: Okay. By the way, to address our last review, we're both real! At least I think so...You're not an active imagination baby are you?

Amaya: Uhhhh, nope! But yea seriously, this is a collaborative fanfic. By the way, there is a song in this chapter. I know the tune, but you don't, and probably never will, sorry. If it comes down to it, just read it like its a free-verse poem or something.

Shiro: Have fun reading!

Chapter 4

Masato sat alone in one of Saotome's many music rooms, absentmindedly stroking the keys of the piano. He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard the door creak open. Looking up, he saw that Nanami Haruka had entered the room, one of the best composers in the A Class.

"Oh, Hijirikawa-san!" she exclaimed. "Forgive me for intruding, I didn't know you'd be here."

"It's alright," he responded stoically, turning his attention back to the piano.

Haruka took a cautious step closer out of curiosity. "Are you working on a song?" she asked.

"Yes, I am," he said as he stroked the keys affectionately. "It's for someone who is often distant from me, but at the same time very close to my heart."

"Can I hear it?"

Masato looked up again to see her hopeful smile. "It's not finished yet...but I don't see why not."

His fingers danced across the keys, filling the room with his song's beautiful melody.

The halls outside were mostly empty, save for one white-haired shy girl. Shiro brought herself to a halt as the melody leaked out from the music room. She crept up to the still slightly-open music room door and peered in. Her heart nearly leapt into her throat when she saw Masato playing the piano. When he started to sing, her body froze but her heart melted. Shiro imagined herself sitting side by side with Masato, leaning on his shoulder affectionately as he played and sang. For her.

She pushed the door open another couple inches, the sweet song drawing her in. But she stopped dead as she caught sight of the pink-haired girl that stood to the side of the piano, smiling warmly as Masato played. Shiro stumbled backward into the other end of the hall, backing into the wall and sliding down as if her despair was dragging her to hell. (a/n Amaya: Wow, that's intense as fuck. Shiro: Exactly! That's my love for him, and KIIIILL NANAMI! Amaya: Riiight.) In a rush of sorrow-fueled energy, Shiro jumped to her feet and sprinted down the hall as tears rolled from her eyes.

When she reached the classroom, Amaya was already there waiting for her. "You're unusually late," Amaya commented. But she quickly noticed the despair that weighed on her friend's shoulders. Her voice became softer and full of concern. "What's the matter?"

Shiro's special cat ears flattened against her scalp and her tail fluffed up in anger. Her eyes were so full of tumultuous rage that Amaya took a cautious step back. "Nothing," she growled demonically.

The girls took their seats in the back as always, Amaya wisely not responding. Shiro jerked her notebook from her bag and began shredding the pages.

Masato entered the classroom, his eyes expectantly falling on Shiro. A very worrisome expression overcame his usually calm face. But then his face hardened as he looked accusingly to Amaya.

The purple-haired girl held up her hands in surrender. "Seriously?!"

"Eh?" Shiro looked up at her abruptly distressed friend, ears cocked confusedly. She followed Amaya's stare and immediately her ears drooped in misery, tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She dropped her gaze to her desk and constricted her fingers around the torn papers.

"Is something wrong here?"

Amaya was startled by the sudden voice above them. "Ringo-sensei!" she exclaimed. _When did he get here? _

"The lyrics," Shiro murmured bitterly. "They mean _nothing_ anymore!" She threw her demolished notebook to the floor and stomped upon it before hiding her face in her arms.

Ringo-sensei's eyes widened in surprise. Artists were often angry with themselves for imperfect work, he knew this to be true. But this outburst had more behind it than just bad lyrics. The cross-dresser leaned over and placed a comforting hand on Shiro's shoulder. "It's alright, Shiro-chan," he assured.

Shiro's ears twitched slightly in annoyance at the unwanted honorific.

But Ringo-sensei carried on. "Working as an idol and a composer at once can be difficult, I imagine. But you can't give up so easily. And you can't get so angry with yourself. Alright?" he punctuated his last remark with one of his trademark winks.

Shiro nodded reluctantly, ears still twitching in agitation.

Then as always, the usual bounciness of Ringo-sensei's personality return an instant later. "Now, Amaya!"

"I swear, I didn't do this to her!" Amaya blurted defensively. _For once. _

Ringo-sensei chuckled lightheartedly. "No, it's not about that. Though I am glad to hear that," he clarified. "Remember how I said I was going to enhance everyone's idol appeal?"

Amaya nodded cautiously, as she glanced quickly at Shiro's cat ears. _Crap, not me too!_ "Uh-huh," she responded nervously.

"Well, I found the perfect way to enhance yours!" he reported joyfully. Ringo-sensei presented Amaya with a deep indigo colored fedora with purple flowers embroidered into the white band that encircled above the brim.

Amaya gasped in sheer delight as she took the hat from Ringo-sensei's hands, her eyes sparkling joyfully as she put it on her head. "I love it!" she nearly squealed. Amaya threw her arms around her teacher in appreciation. "Thank you, Ringo-sensei!"

"WHAT?!" Shiro screeched in fury._ SHE GETS A FLIPPIN AWESOME HAT THAT SUITS HER PERFECTLY, AND WE'RE STUCK WITH THESE STUPID CAT EARS THAT TELLS EVERYONE HOW WE FEEL AND MAKES US LOOK LIKE A STUFFED ANIMAL?! _Her inner self screamed in unrelenting rage.

Seeming blown back by the sheer loudness of her friend's voice, Amaya again held up her arms in surrender. "I'm...sorry, Shiro-san?" she offered cautiously.

Shiro's glare pierced through her a few moments longer before she fell back into her chair in defeat. "Whatever," she sighed as her head clunked down on her desk.

"You enjoy that now, Amaya-chan!" Ringo-sensei said cheerfully as he walked back to the front, clapping to catch the rest of the class's attention.

Too overjoyed to be bothered by the honorific, Amaya simply replied, "I will!" She settled calmly into her seat as Ringo-sensei began the afternoon lesson. But she could not withhold wriggling happily as she touched the brim of her hat. _Syo-kun would love this!_ She thought dreamily.

~~~~~~~~~~A few days later, during lunch~~~~~~~~~~

Amaya's lunch had gone untouched for the last several minutes. She was staring at Shiro, waiting for her to say something. Anything, for that matter. She had hardly spoken at all in days. "Okay," Amaya said, at last breaking the silence between them. "I know you're quiet, but I haven't heard you talk any louder than a whisper in days. And I know it can't just be about the ears and the hat." 

"It's partly that," Shiro admitted. "But it's mostly something else."

Amaya's concerned mounted. She had seen Shiro spiral into depression before, and it never got any easier to watch despite how rocky their friendship often was.

Shiro felt something plop down atop her head, enveloping and hiding her cat ears. "Huh?" She looked up to see that Amaya was no longer wearing her hat, but smiling encouragingly. Expectantly, she reached up and felt the brim of Amaya's hat on her head. "I feel like a Mafia boss with a tail!" she exclaimed with a slight chipper tone.

"That's more like it," Amaya said kindly. "Now tell me what else is bothering you."

A dark, glum cloud seemed to pass over Shiro's features. "I think...I'm gonna give up."

"Give up?" Amaya exclaimed in alarm. "On what?! Being an idol?!" She grasped her friends shoulder in desperation. "You can't do this to me! ...I mean _us_! ...I mean _yourself_!"

"What? No!" Shiro pushed her eccentric friend back into her seat. "I mean I'm giving up on talking to Hijirikawa-san."

"Oh," Amaya breathed awkwardly. "But why?"

"...He likes Nanami-san."

"What?!"

"A few days ago, I heard him singing to her," she specified glumly.

_So that's what that shredding was about_, Amaya thought. _I knew it had something to do with Prince Charming! _"Well...that doesn't mean-"

"It was a love song," Shiro interrupted.

"Oh." Amaya paused for a moment, attempting to come up with some comforting words. She perked up suddenly and offered, "If it makes you feel any better, I haven't figured out what to say to Syo-kun either!"

"It doesn't," Shiro deadpanned.

_Crap_. Amaya slumped in defeat as another silence fell over them. Speaking of the five-foot-two-devil, Amaya spotted Syo across the lunch room. Customarily, he sat next to Natsuki who was clearly insisting that Syo try one of his um...cupcakes(?) as Syo protested with all his might. _It looks like a little cup of ash_, Amaya thought. She knew it was wrong of her, but she couldn't help but giggle as Syo continued fighting off Natsuki's persistence. _He's cute no matter what he does. But he's especially so when he's angry, _she thought as her face warmed with delight. _He's _Syo_ cute. _She turned back to Shiro, staring longingly at her hat, suddenly feeling naked without it. "Um, can I have that back now?" she asked hesitantly.

Shiro gave her friend an exasperated smirk. Nonetheless, she handed the hat back over to Amaya. "Sure."

Amaya grinned as she set her hat back in its rightful place atop her head. _It's sort of the closest I can get to him for the time being_... Her stomach growled impatiently, catching her attention. "Oh, I forgot I was hungry," she said smiling awkwardly as she grabbed her fork.

"Wow," Shiro snorted in disbelief.

"Well excuse me for worrying about you!" Amaya silenced herself with a mouthful of mashed potatoes an instant later.

"You're excused."

The two of them ate quietly for a few passing minutes, thoughts racing as always.

But then...

"Little Mouse," a familiar velvety voice said. "Why are you masquerading as a cat?"

"Ima doing what now?" Shiro asked in befuddlement.

Masato, who had watched Jinguji approach the two girls, set his tea cup down (not wanting to destroy another one) and readied himself to spring from his seat just as he had a few days ago.

"They would be much better suited for my Kitten," he said coolly, directing his gaze at Amaya now.

Amaya clutched the brim of her hat protectively. "Don't even think about it!"

"Don't get me wrong, my lady," Ren said smoothly. "Your hat is lovely, but its shadow hides your beautiful eyes."

"I already hear that from my mother regarding my glasses, I don't need to hear something similar from you," Amaya warned, a vein ticking in her forehead. "Besides, why are you here again? Didn't you learn your lesson the last few times."

"Oh, but you see," Ren began, "you ladies have taught me that with love comes pain. And I am willing to accept that."

"Uh-huh," Amaya mumbled. "If you're into that kinda thing."

A symbolic lightbulb suddenly flashed in Shiro's mind. Her tail flicked mischievously as she replied, "I know I am."

Amaya nearly choked on her food at her friend's seductive tone. A tone she had never expected to hear in a million years!

Masato's clenched fists went limp at his sides, feeling as though his chest were sinking in.

Ren's eyes widened in shock, though his surprise was fleeting. "Really now?" he questioned suggestively. "I would have never guessed."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, sweetheart," Shiro replied slyly.

_Sweetheart...sweetheart... _The poison word echoed in Masato's mind.

Her disturbance building as she watched Ren and Shiro exchange innuendos, Amaya glanced aside to the crestfallen Masato a few seats down. _That poor blue-haired bastard_, she thought with half-honest sympathy.

"I not only have talents with my fingers," Shiro purred. "I also have a very talented tongue."

Amaya's face screwed up in abhorrence. _Shiro, I hope you mean your singing because... Ew!_

Abruptly, Masato stood from his seat made a hasty exit from the lunch room, his hair hiding his distraught face.

"Is that so?" Ren said as he leaned in even closer. "Why don't you prove it with a kiss?"

Conveniently, the bell stopped their lips from touching.

Shiro pulled back and twirled out of her seat. "That's the bell, darling. See you later," she said flirtatiously as she briefly brushed her fingers against Ren's chest.

"It's a promise, Little Mouse," Ren approved with a wink.

Shiro responded with a wink of her own and sashayed out of the lunch room, a very confused and disgusted Amaya in tow.

The purple-haired girl remained stone-faced and silent even as they walked back into class and took their seats. They sat quietly for perhaps another half minute as if they were waiting for the lesson to begin. But she at last exploded. "WHAT THE HELL WAS _THAT_?!" Amaya shrieked.

"Meh?" Shiro looked up casually despite Amaya's urgency.

"That! Back there! In the lunch room! That was...UGH!" Amaya gripped Shiro's wrist and shook it vigorously. "You _touched him_ for God's sake!"

"You're right," Shiro murmured as all the slyness melted from her features. "OH GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?! GIVE ME THE BATTERY ACID!"

"It's those ears!" Amaya cried, crossing her arms into an X. "They're evil!"

Quickly, Shiro reached up to remove the ears, but immediately she felt Ringo-sensei's warning glower from across the room. She lowered her hands reluctantly as she cried comically. Y_ou don't understand, they're Satan!_

As loud as the two girls were, Masato had heard none of it. _Why?_ He thought. _Why did it have to be him?_

~~~~~~~~~~In the Saotome courtyard~~~~~~~~~~

"Another crazy day passed, and still I haven't come up with anything," Amaya sighed.

"I suppose _I_ don't have to bother with coming up with anything now," Shiro said somberly as she squirted continuous streams of anti-bacterial spray all over her arm.

"Oh come on, don't say that," Amaya responded empathetically. "There has to be some kind of hope."

"Name. One," Shiro challenged.

"Uh...umm...give me a minute! Uhh..."

"I thought so."

"Oh wait!" The mental image of Masato from earlier today flashed in Amaya's mind. "He looked very upset in the lunch room when you started flirting with Ren. He even walked out."

"Why would he be upset about that? He probably misses his old tea cup or something...Besides, he likes Haru-"

"Hijirikawa-san is an amazing song writer, Tomo-chan," Haruka explained to the tall red-headed girl walking next to her as they passed the other two girls by. "He let me hear a song he's been working on for someone special, so he says."

"Aww, how sweet!" Tomo-chan exclaimed.

Something clicked in Shiro's mind upon hearing those words. But any joy she would have felt was dashed by guilt. "I'm a terrible person," she whimpered, slumping down in shame.

"Uhhh...see? I...told you there was hope," Amaya said haltingly.

Coincidentally, Shiro happened to lock eyes with Masato from a distance upon looking up. Masato turned away immediately, as if looking in her eyes was too painful.

Shiro looked back at Amaya, comical tears flowing down her face. "Whyyyyyy?"

"Ehehe...," Amaya sweatdropped nervously.

Before she could think of what to say, three peculiar clicks echoed out over the entire campus. "Uhh...hello? Can everyone hear me?"

"Ren?" Amaya gasped in astonishment.

"Him...," Shiro growled. Her voice escalated in volume with each word as she shouted, "I hate him SO MUCH RIGHT NOW!" She jumped around in all directions, fire burning in her eyes and her fists balled up tight. "WHERE THE HELL IS HE?! I'LL KILL HIM! HE'LL NEVER HAVE CHILDREN WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH HIM!"

Amaya held Shiro back from wherever the hell she planned to go as Ren continued to talk over the intercom. Something about a song... "Calm down, Shiro!" Amaya warned frantically.

But then...

"It's... show time!"

Lively saxophone music began to play over the speakers, followed by Ren's sinfully sensual singing.

The girls froze in place, looking up in amazement as the music flowed through them.

"He's good," Amaya breathed absently.

"Yea...," Shiro agreed. But then her anger returned. "Wait...I'm still mad at him!"

Amaya, who still held Shiro, sucked in a breath at a sudden brilliant thought. She dropped Shiro to the ground and whispered, "That's it." This time it was her voice that grew, her realization quickening her heart. "That's it! I've got it! I know what I can do now!"

Shiro shook her head in annoyance and helped herself to her feet. "What are you talking abou-," but then it clicked. She knew exactly what Amaya was thinking. And for once, it was a brilliant thought.

They stayed rooted to where they stood, slowly and silently formulating their plans. When Ren's song at last ended, Shiro and Amaya's eyes locked, each filled with excitement. "We have to get back to the dorm!" they yelled simultaneously before breaking into a run.

Before they could make it back to the girl's dorm, they passed by the main building to see Ren walking out with a proud smirk on his face.

"Ren!" Amaya exclaimed, her and Shiro nearly crashing into him.

"Hmm?" The tall womanizer looked upon them, smiling seductively.

But before he could begin his usual flirting, Amaya blurted happily, "You just gave me the best idea ever!" She threw her arms around him and squeezed tight. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

As Amaya's luck would have it, or lack thereof, she suddenly noticed that Syo had been standing nearby. He was not looking her way, at least not anymore. But she knew that he had seen everything, considering that he looked as though his world had come crashing down around him. Amaya face drained off all color, suddenly feeling like beating herself into oblivion with a baseball bat. _But...but...but... _

Ren tenderly stroked Amaya's chin with his finger, tilting her mortified gaze to him. "You're welcome, my Kitten," he replied enticingly.

Nauseated, Amaya pushed away from him and sprinted with all her might. She bashed her fist against her head repeatedly, screaming all the way, "DAMNIT! AMAYA, YOU IDIOT!"

Without paying any further attention to Ren or anyone else in the vicinity, Shiro ran after her friend. She found Amaya leaning one hand and facing against the dorm wall, her other hand covering her face in remorse. "Every. Time," she whimpered. "Every time, I manage to make things worse!" She gritted her teeth hard and clenched her fist, feeling a rush of determination. "But not for long! I know what I must do now!" She grabbed Shiro by the arm and hauled her into the building. "Come on, Shiro! We have work to do! And men to woo!"

"You're rhyming again, Amaya," Shiro whined as she was drug along the hall.

"I know!" Amaya agreed, that determined edge still in her voice. And still she did not lose it as she added, "And it was stupid! But so is love!"

For the next few days, from that point on, the girls seldom looked up from their notebooks. Diligently writing, erasing and composing. In the mornings and evenings they would spend their time in silence apart from tuning their respectful instruments and singing a few lines. Otherwise, they didn't speak to one another, or anyone else for that matter. Even during class or lunch, they would quietly hum a tune or two and jot down some lyrics or music notes.

Throughout nearly every classroom, whispers about the two girls could be heard. Everyone seemed in a state of shock that neither of them had caused a scene in so long, as they normally did.

"What's with them?"

"They really seem to be working hard."

"I don't trust those two."

"They won't even look up."

"What are they writing anyway?"

"What could they possibly be doing?"

"Do they have some kind of plan?"

"Those two are so weird."

Shiro and Amaya were so engrossed in their work that they did not even seem to notice two particularly interested spectators. And unknowingly very rightfully interested at that.

~~~~~~~~~~At the end of the 7th day~~~~~~~~~~

"Yes! It's finished!" Amaya shouted in triumph, taking a twirling leap from her bed in celebration. It had been so long since she had stood up that she fell hard on the floor. But hardly noticing any pain, she immediately sprang up to her feet. "Shiro!" she called to her friend, grinning widely. "Will you please listen to it and tell me if-"

"I'm concentrating! Shut up!" the still working Shiro barked. "...Give me your glasses!" Not even waiting for Amaya's consent, she yanked them off her face and put them on.

Amaya frowned as she reached for her guitar, and sheet music. "Fine, I'll practice out here" she muttered as he went out to the balcony. Her hands already began to tremble nervously as she looked over the passionate lyrics. _Maybe this is too much,_ she thought. But then she shook her head stubbornly. _No, if anything it's not _enough_. And I can't quit now._ She adjusted her hat, curled her fingers around the brass strings and began to play.

~~~~~~~~~~The next morning in class~~~~~~~~~~

Shiro continued scribbling in her notebook, still not looking up and becoming increasingly frustrated, alternating between scribbling and erasing.

Amaya was nowhere to be seen.

"Shiro-chan?"

Upon hearing her name, Shiro accidentally wrote her own name in her lyrics. "That...doesn't...GO THERE!" She threw her pencil aside and sobbed comically into her notebook.

Ringo-sensei sighed, not quite surprised anymore. He remained patient and went on as if nothing odd had happened. "Shiro-chan, have you seen Amaya-chan this morning?"

"No, I haven't seen her all week," Shiro replied surprisingly honestly.

"Then where..."

The sound of the intercom tuning in suddenly interrupted everyone's thoughts.

"Uh...testing, testing 1 2 3. Is this thing on?" A loud keening followed the sound of a light tap. "Yep, it's on. ...Sorry everyone."

In the S class, one particular shorty jolted to attention as he recognized the voice. _Amaya_.

"If you all don't mind," Amaya went on, "I would like to share a song with all of you. Especially a certain someone in S class who inspired it."

Ren chuckled and looked snidely to Syo. "Seems like my Kitten wrote a song for me," he remarked.

Syo gnashed his teeth together and imagined tossing Ren off the roof of the school. Anger boiled plainly on the surface, but inside he felt dejected and sick. But then...

Amaya hesitated in apprehension before finally calling out, "T-this is for you, Syo-kun!"

Syo's anger morphed into an awed expression, a blush blossoming across his face. "Me?" he whispered to himself.

When his name at last stopped echoing across campus, Amaya began to strum her guitar. "I call this '_Raining Starlight_'," she said softly. And then she began to sing...

_Perfection is the beauty of this night standing beside you_

_Watching as the light of the fireflies dance within your azure eyes_

_Darling you are the reason my heart sings so beautifully_

_And as the stars fall from the heavens up above_

_I will reach out and catch them in my hands_

_So I can give them to you, the brightest star of all_

_Together we will chase the wind across the sky_

_And when we reach the long lost paradise we've been searching for_

_We will find a place to call our own_

_And then we'll toss our stars into the sky _

_Our hearts rising as their splendor rains upon us forever_

_Forever we will stay_

_Forever we shall dance_

_In the starlight_

_In the starlight of our love_

_Bright and bountiful wonders fill these vast cosmos_

_Wonders that would make the weakest of hearts grow strong_

_And melodies that play with such divinity and grace_

_That they would bring a valiant hero to his knees_

_But in spite of it all there is only one place I wish to remain_

_And that is right here in your arms getting lost in your gaze_

_Together we will chase the wind across the sky_

_And when we reach the long lost paradise we've been searching for_

_We will find a place to call our own_

_And then we'll toss our stars into the sky _

_Our hearts rising as their splendor rains upon us forever_

_Forever we will stay_

_Forever we shall dance_

_In the starlight_

_In the starlight of our love_

_In the starlight_

_In the starlight of our..._

_And though the moon is fading now I do not want to leave_

_So hold me even closer now and whisper in my ear_

_Forever I will stay with you_

_Forever I shall dance with you_

_In the starlight_

_In the starlight of our love_

_And because of you my darling at last I have forgiven myself_

_For all those years that I was less than I could be_

_Because of you my precious love I have nothing else to fear_

_I no longer lock away the passion that I used to hide_

_Because even on my darkest nights you are my light..._

_You are my light..._

_Forever we will stay_

_Forever we shall dance_

_Together we will remain_

_Right here in this moment_

_Dancing in the starlight_

_In the starlight_

_You are my starlight_

_And my..._

_Love_

As the strings of Amaya's guitar finished humming the last note, she breathed a sigh of relief. But self-consciousness was quick to take over again. "Um, I-I-I Ihopeyoualllikedit!" she stuttered rapidly. Faster than light, she replaced her guitar in its case and darted out of the principal's office. Soon thereafter, the class A door slammed open, revealing an exhausted panting Amaya. The students were stupefied as they looked upon her, hardly believing that someone with such insanity could write a song so beautiful. Even Ringo-sensei was silent with disbelief as Amaya stumbled to her seat in the back.

Amaya's heart pounded against her ribs as if it were trying to escape her body. "I can't believe I did that," she gasped to no one in particular.

From the silence, Shiro's voice arose. "Amaya."

"Yes, Shiro?" Amaya asked in between breaths.

Shiro held up her notebook, smiling meekly but proudly. "It's finished." With that, she collapsed out of her seat and instantly fell asleep.

END AUTHOR'S NOTE: Shiro: Aaaand we make another long chapter.

Amaya: Guess it doesn't matter what fandom we write about, our chapters always progressively get longer.

Shiro: Yea, and we don't even mean to do it! We just have awesome ideas that we need to write. ...And I noms on Pocky.

Amaya: Right. Polite critiques and reviews only please, thank you. Well, until next chapter, we'll see ya! Oh, and also...Syo-kun! *heart*

Shiro: MASATO-SAMA! *more heartness*


	5. Song From the Soul

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: Hello everyone and welcome back for another chapter of super fluffy insanity!

Shiro: By the way, if we have any Ren fangirls reading this, just know that we love Ren, but we also love to _mess_ with Ren...a lot!

Amaya: Indeed we do. Plus, you can't say he didn't get what was coming to him.

Shiro: And what is coming to him!

Amaya: No spoilers Shiro! Although I will admit that some parts of this chapter will make you say "Awww" a lot.

Shiro: Or make you laugh your ass off!

Amaya: As it should!

Disclaimer: We do not own Uta Pri. Shiro: *whine* I want Masato-sama~.

Chapter 5

"Oh God, oh God, I can't believe I did that. I can't believe I did that," Amaya chanted to herself for perhaps the hundredth time since she had ran back into class that morning. Her and Shiro walked side by side to the lunch room, looking like a pair of zombies. "I can't believe I did that...,"

"Would you calm down?" Shiro murmured. "If Ren did the same thing, I'm sure you won't get in trouble either."

"That's not what I'm worried about!" Amaya exclaimed. They entered the lunch room about then, Amaya's gaze seemed drawn to Syo almost instantly despite being so far across the room as always. Her heart was in her throat. "I can't do this," she whispered.

"Eh?" Shiro questioned tiredly.

"I. Can't. Do. This!" Amaya exclaimed in panic, more nervous energy buzzing within her than ever. _The song may have been good, but he definitely thinks I'm some kind of obsessed crazed stalker now, or something! All that talk of love, and I've never said more than a few words to him! Amaya, you idiot! _She took a few steps back, intent on making a hasty exit. "S-Shiro, if anyone asked where I am, tell them I uhh...went to feed the ducks!" Amaya turned and tore down the hallway, silently cursing herself for the lame excuse but not bothering to go back and correct it.

Shiro, for once too delusional with exhaustion to be bothered by her friend leaving her alone, simply stared off after her and sweatdropped. "Oooookay." Shiro took her usual spot in the lunch room without grabbing any food, opened up a small, rectangular sterling silver case and produced a shiny harmonica from it. She pulled out her completed sheet music, shuffled them in the right order and began to play a lilting, jazzy tune.

A dim shadow fell over her paper as someone approached from behind. Shiro closed her eyes and breathed deeply, silently praying, _Please don't let it be Ren_. But upon turning around she saw Syo Kurusu instead, appearing confident and determined.

"Can I help you with something?" Shiro asked tiredly.

His bold expression faltered the more he spoke, "Have you seen...uhh...umm..."

"You're looking for Amaya, right?" Shiro yawned.

Syo's large eyes grew even larger at the sound of her name, turning away in embarrassment as he blushed.

"If I remember correctly...," Shiro began as she tapped her harmonica to her chin, "she told me she was...going to feed ducks?" She raised her eyebrow as she thought, _That _is_ a terrible lie_.

"Ducks?..." Syo paused for a moment and then brightened with an epiphany. "The lake!" With that, he bolted from the cafeteria, leaving Shiro to shrug and continue where she left off.

When Syo reached the shore of the lake, he looked around in all directions. But Amaya was out of sight. He cupped his hands around his mouth and began to shout, "Amaya? ….Amaya!"

At that moment, a small duck waddled onto the shore nearby, shaking the water from its feathers.

Upon noticing the creature, Syo pointed as if he were about to begin interrogating it. "You! You're a duck! Amaya's supposed to be feeding you! Have you seen her?!"

"...Quack?" the water fowl responded.

Syo's arm lowered slowly in realization. "I'm...talking...to a duck!" he exclaimed in disbelief. He clasped his hat and pulled it over his face as he sank to his knees in mortification. _I _really_ hope Amaya wasn't around to see _that, he thought as his face reddened.

Fortunately for him, she wasn't.

~~~~~~~~~~In the girls' dorm~~~~~~~~~~

A bluesy melody filled the dorm room as Shiro continued her practice on the harmonica. She wanted to get it perfect before she recorded the music overlay. A soft rustling of a key entering the lock in the door interrupted her playing. Amaya, looking even more bedraggled than she had in class that afternoon, shuffled into the room. After the morning class, she had disappeared to God knows where, missing lunch and even skipping out on her afternoon class. "I'm back," she reported sleepily.

"Where have you been all day?" Shiro asked before continuing her tune.

"...Places," Amaya answered. "I am convinced, I am the stupidest person alive."

"I was convinced of that on our first meeting," Shiro stated flatly. "What finally made you realize that?"

"BECAUSE I STILL FREAKING AVOIDED HIM ALL DAY!" Amaya cried in frustration. "I thought if I put everything out into the open it would make it easier, but if anything it only made it a hell of a lot harder!"

"Well, of course it did, you poured out your heart to the guy you like," Shiro pointed out. "In front of the whole school, no less."

"What are you implying?! That song was great!" Amaya shouted in defense. But then her self-esteem dropped like a ton of lead weights. "Oh god, it was awful wasn't it?! I suck at everything!"

"That's not what I was saying," Shiro assured her. "I'm just saying you sang to the guy you like, anyone would be embarrassed to a certain degree."

"Yea, except for just about every famous idol that ever lived," Amaya muttered almost inaudibly. "So _why_ did I think that would be a good idea again?" Amaya groaned with a cringe-worthy facepalm.

"Because Ren, the most confident guy in school, did it."

"All the more reason I should have known it was a bad idea! Ren is freaking creepy!" She plopped down on her bed and began to pummel her pillow. "I didn't win his heart at all! I just humiliated him! He'll never want to speak to me now!"

"Yea." Shiro went back to practicing for a short minute more. Though it felt like an eternity to Amaya as she added, "Oh by the way, Syo was looking for you at lunch today."

"He was..." Amaya whispered into her bed sheets. She sprang from her bed, heart beating at a million miles an hour. "HE WAS?!"

"Well of course he was, you wrote a song about him."

"Oh my god," Amaya gasped, hugging herself in rapture. But she dropped back down to earth as a realization came to her. "Wait...why didn't you tell me this before I spiraled into a depression?!"

"Cause it was funny."

"I'm going to kill you," Amaya growled.

"I told him that you went to go feed ducks."

Amaya's face screwed up in confusion. "Why would you tell him _that_?"

Shiro slowly looked up at her with an exasperated expression. "Because you _told_ me to tell anyone that if they asked."

"Oh right," Amaya said. She facepalmed again and groaned. "It was just so stupid that I forgot I said it. I _really_ couldn't come up with anything better?"

"Guess not," Shiro responded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go practice my electric cello." The white-haired idol-composer casually walked out onto their balcony with her cello and sheet music in hand, leaving Amaya with her boiling mixed stew of thoughts.

"He was looking for me," Amaya whispered to herself. She began to dance half-drunkenly with joy, singing to herself with each slow twirl. She stopped suddenly, arms out wide and facing skyward as if a warm light were shining upon her. "I'm right here, Syo-kun!"

~~~~~~~~~~That next morning~~~~~~~~~~

The two girls headed out of their dorms one their way to the courtyard, Amaya carrying a folded chair and Shiro carrying her cello case.

"So what do you think he wanted to tell me?" Amaya asked for perhaps the fifth time that morning.

"For the last time, Amaya, I don't know!" Shiro answered in exasperation.

"Oh come on, we can at least guess!"

"Fine, he wanted to admit his undying love for you," Shiro grumbled.

"You make it sound so romantic," Amaya responded with a roll of her eyes.

"You have to remember, Amaya, I'm running on five hours of sleep...for the entire week!"

"Yea, good point," she sighed. "Sorry."

Shiro tilted her head to the side in exhaustion, not having enough energy to offer a response.

"I probably won't find out until Monday anyway," Amaya lamented, locking eyes with the ground. "Since it's the weekend after all."

Shiro came to a sudden stop. "I wouldn't say that," she said as she pointed ahead.

"Huh?" Amaya looked up to see Syo waiting anxiously right outside the entrance of the dorm. She gasped, nearly letting the chair fall from her grasp.

But Shiro took it from her before that could happen. "IIII'm just gonna take that and go over here," she said as she walked away.

"Okay," Amaya squeaked absently, never taking her eyes off Syo.

As soon as Shiro was out of sight, Syo began walking cautiously towards Amaya. He seemed to approach her in the same way someone would approach a wild rabbit. And for good reason, Amaya realized.

Amaya directed her gaze to the ground as she listened to his soft footsteps. _Don't run. Don't run. Don't run! _she chanted over and over in her head. _I will never forgive myself if I run this time! I swear, if I am not still standing here by the time he-_

"Amaya?"

With a startled gasp, Amaya looked up to see Syo standing before her, barely three feet apart. She had not even been this close to him on the first day of school. She grasped her wrist firmly as if to hold it in place. _No hat stealing, not this time! _"Hi," she managed to squeak back. She took in a deep breath and words began falling out of her mouth as rapidly as a raging river, "LookI'vebeenmeaningtosayI'msosorrythatIalmoststol eyourhatonthefirstdayIreallydidn'tmeantoIswe-!"

"It's okay!" Syo interrupted as he grasped her shoulders reassuringly. It seemed as if a bolt of electricity shot through him as he felt Amaya's skin against his hand. After a heart-stopping pause, he let go and shoved his hands deep in his pockets, the metal bangles around his wrist rattling as he did so. "I...I just wanted to say...your song..."

Amaya clenched her wrist even tighter now, feeling as if she had cut off the circulation. Blood rushed to her face as she tried to provoke him to go on. "Y-yes? Did you...like it?"

"I..." The short blonde idol gathered his courage and forced his eyes to meet hers. "Even after you finished singing it…the words and melody...they wouldn't leave my head," he admitted shyly. "Natsuki said that he even caught me humming it to myself last night."

"Really?" Amaya whispered, hope shining like beacon within her. "Really?!"

Syo chuckled slightly and as he turned even redder. "Yea, really."

"Syo-kun," Amaya breathed, eyes glistening with sheer joy. "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that!"

"Believe me, I think I do," Syo insisted as he smiled sweetly.

An ecstatic shudder wracked Amaya's body. _He's so adorable, I think I'm going to die! ...But in a good way! _But her mirth-filled smile faltered a bit as she spotted many whispering eavesdroppers scattered about nearby. Heads turned away as she looked their direction, and hands hid whispering lips close to their companion's ears.

She saw a frown crease Syo's face as he too noticed the furtive witnesses. But the tiny idol's face suddenly brightened as an solution occurred to him. "Maybe we could meet up somewhere more private...tonight!" he suggested hopefully as his smile returned. His face flushed, immediately seeing how his simple words could be seen as a misconception. "N-not _that_ private ya know! I-I meant-"

Too elated to acknowledge his abashment, Amaya intervened eagerly, "Yes! Yes we should!" A location came to mind almost instantly, butterflies flitting her chest as she imagined the magical forthcoming scene. "I know the perfect place too! Meet me at the highest point of the main building tonight at sun-down, alright?"

"I will!" Syo promised with a determined smile. But his confidence vanished as quickly as it had returned,_ Wait, the _what_ point?! _

"Great, I'll be waiting!" Amaya promised in return. She gave him a gleaming smile and waved back to him as she skipped off. "Don't be late, Syo-kun~!" she called back playfully.

Syo was frozen in thought for a few moments, thinking of the courtyard far below him. _Much_ too far below him! "Amaya, wait!" He called back in panic, reaching out to her. But she was already too far (or too excited) to hear him. Syo's reaching hand trembled nervously. _Crap_, he thought meekly. _Problem_.

~~~~~~~~~~On the opposite side of campus~~~~~~~~~~

Ren sat contently on his balcony, letting the early rays of the sun warm his body. Sweet, soft cello music began to mingle with the silence in the air, catching his attention. He spotted the white-haired songstress gently sliding the bow across the strings. The tune remained silvery for some time before it began to slip into a more jazzy tempo, even at some points abandoning the bow to pluck at the strings.

Masato, who had remained inside to meditate, suddenly directed his attention to the window. He rose from where he sat and made his way to the balcony, not even caring that he was so close to Ren. _What is she doing down there_? He thought. _Does she know this side is the boy's dorm_?

"Well," Ren spoke up smoothly. "It seems my Little Mouse has come to serenade me."

Masato gripped the banister so hard that it felt as if it may break off in his hand.

Shiro began rapidly stroking the strings in short bursts, creating a rock-like beat.

Somewhere in the depths of his mind, Masato hoped that her strings would break. Just like his heart.

"I knew she was talented with her fingers," Ren commented slyly.

Masato's eyes locked on Ren, pure hatred burning within them. But it burned him up even more that it seemed Ren did not care. But instead of lashing out like he _desperately_ wanted to, he took a calming breath and walked back inside without a word.

"Hmm, I think I upset him," Ren murmured smugly to himself.

_Click_.

"Huh?" Ren turned to see Masato with his hand still on the inside lock, smiling with bitter victory. The womanizer stood up and attempted to open the door, but sure enough it didn't budge. "This isn't funny, let me in!"

Completely ignoring Ren's warning, Masato simply reached up and pulled the curtains to. Stubbornly, for the next half hour or so, Ren tried again and again to get the door open, but to no avail.

With a sigh of defeat, Ren slumped back against the railing of the balcony, pondering some other way to get himself down. Hesitantly, he looked over his shoulder at the ground below. It was only a second-floor drop, it shouldn't hurt...much. Cautiously, he climbed over the railing and tried to concentrate on the bushes below, hoping to at least land on something soft. He jumped...and missed. He landed safely on his feet for about a split second before stumbling and falling on his face. "Ow, my nose!" he grunted, his nose still a bit sore from its encounter with Masato's fist a while ago.

Shiro halted in her playing long enough to see Ren come crashing to the ground. _Was Ren trying to commit suicide? _She wondered. _Oh well._ Without a second thought, she continued to play.

Syo, having seen the whole thing transpire, cringed at Ren's impact with the ground. _That's __gonna be me! _He thought nervously. _Only from higher up!_

All the while, Masato chose to ignore the near unrelenting rattling, drinking his traditional green tea and writing in calligraphy. He hung one particular scroll upon his wall, which read: "Unrequited Love". He kept his thoughtful eyes on the script as he thought, _Why couldn't it have been me?_

~~~~~~~~~~Later that night, atop Saotome Academy~~~~~~~~~~

Syo carefully climbed the stairs to the main Saotome building, slowly but surely making his way to the roof. He forced himself to keep his eyes straight ahead, for windows crept along at his side, revealing the far-away ground. His expression was stubbornly determined as always even as his legs shook nervously beneath him. _Just tell her_, he thought to himself. _If anyone will understand, its her. _At last, Syo reached the door which was marked "Roof". He gripped the knob tightly and thrust it open before he could change his mind, revealing a large, flat surface that was tiled not unlike the Saotome halls, but with the open skies above it instead of the ornate ceiling.

Amaya stood leaning against the carved stone railing, looking out over the horizon which was painted in a myriad of warm and dark colors. She turned around at the sound of the door creaking open, the near-gone rays of the sun casting a gentle glow on her face as she smiled at him.

Syo's heart skipped a beat. _Just tell her. _

"Syo-kun!" Amaya exclaimed happily as she rushed towards him. "You _did_ come!"

"Of course," Syo responded with a nervous chuckle. His voice was unusually quiet as he tried to speak out."Listen Amaya-"

"I knew I couldn't doubt you," she went on blissfully. Amaya looked out over the horizon thoughtfully for a second time. "This is one of my favorite places to be in the whole school," she claimed peacefully. "Whenever I'm up here, I forget everything that troubles me. And...it just makes me so happy that I can share something like this with you!"

_Great_, Syo thought in defeat as warmth arose in his face. _Now there's no way I can tell her. _Tenaciously, he tried to push the horrifying thoughts of the far-below ground away.

"Come on, see for yourself!" Amaya insisted as she grabbed Syo's wrist, pulling him away from the sanctuary of the doorway. She let go halfway to the edge, looking as if she were about to vault over the roof as she jumped up and stood atop the flat stone railing.

The sight made Syo pale.

"It's amazing up here, isn't it? It's almost like I'm flying!" she proclaimed, spreading her arms out wide. "What do you think, Syo-kun?" Amaya turned to regard him to the side, but she only caught the sight of empty space. "Syo-kun?" She looked back to see that Syo was still standing at the center of the roof, seeming to stay as far from the railing (or as she saw it, her) as possible. "Syo-kun, did...did I do something wrong?" she asked timidly, eyes downcast. "I'm sorry, I know I can get too excited an-"

"No! It's not that!" Syo called out to her, though not daring to take a step closer. "It's just um...you can see everything from here too! Even better, I'd say!" _And you can't see the ground from here. _He smiled his acclaimed confident smile, but his words sounded hollow even to him.

_ There has to be something wrong here, I can see it in his eyes, _Amaya thought, her heart heavy with concern. _But if it's not me then..._ Her downcast eyes had been turned towards the ground below her for a full minute now, but only in that moment did she start to realize just how small everything seemed from up here. To her it was a charming sight, but to him perhaps... "Syo-kun?" she said again as she jumped back down on the flat surface of the roof. "Are you...afraid of heights?"

Syo staggered back a step in shock. Momentarily, every bit of his fear was pushed aside and prideful valor swelled within him. "No! Of course not! Don't be ridiculous!" he insisted forcefully. "Just watch!" He dashed forward, adrenaline pumping in his veins. He grabbed hold of the stone railing and leaned forward, looking straight down.

Straight down...

His courage and vitality evaporated as the ground seemed to get farther and farther away the longer he looked. "So high...," he whimpered. Dizziness overwhelmed him as he lost grip on the railing, starting to fall back.

Luckily Amaya managed to catch him in his fall before his head hit the hard roof. "Syo-kun! Syo-kun!" she cried urgently, trying to get Syo out of his stupor.

Syo shook his muddled head and looked up at her, his face a mask of sheer disgrace. "Alright...so maybe heights make me..._a little _uneasy," he admitted haltingly as he leaned against the railing, wisely facing _away_ from the horizon.

Amaya offered him a considerate smile. "It's okay, Syo-kun," she assured him. "We can go somewhere else."

"No," Syo answered before Amaya could finish her last word. "You said this was your favorite place in the school, right? I...I can handle it. For you."

Amaya held her breath, placing a hand over her mouth as her eyes glistened joyously. "Oh Syo-kun!" she cried graciously as she wrapped him in a tight embrace, tilting them both back against the railing in the process.

Terror amplified within Syo again as the ground came into view over his shoulder. "Amaya! Amaya! Amaya!"

"Oh...sorry," Amaya apologized with an awkward laugh as she released him safely. _Keep it together, you idiot, _she scolded herself. She took the rapidly breathing Syo in her arms again, more gently this time. "Don't worry, Syo-kun," she whispered comfortingly. "Everything will be okay."

_ I'm the one who should be saying that, _Syo thought with wounded pride as he too scolded himself. _I'm the man here, damnit! _

"Hmm...," Amaya looked at the flat surface of the roof in contemplation, an idea formulating in her mind. "I know!" she exclaimed. She released Syo once more and took a few steps away from the railing. She lowered herself and sat down, looking back up at Syo. She smiled and patted the spot next to her.

Syo followed through and took his place beside her.

Amaya lie back, her head resting on her hands as she stared into the vastness of the sky. "It doesn't seem quite so high, as long as you keep looking up," she said.

Again, Syo followed her lead, setting his hat to the side as he leaned his head back on his hands as well. "Yea, I guess you're right," he agreed, now smiling contently.

A silence descended upon them as they let the warmth of the moment sink in.

Amaya's fingers clasped apprehensively against the back of her skull. _Here we are, at long last. __But still...what can I possibly say? I'll never forgive myself if I say something to ruin this..._

"I wish..."

"Hmm?" Syo turned his head to her in curiosity at her sudden whisper.

_Was that out loud?_ Amaya wondered with a blush. Nonetheless, she continued. "I wish...I wish I could be brave like you, Syo-kun."

Syo's brow raised in confusion. "Haha. Very funny," he muttered sarcastically as he played back his own frantic behavior in his mind.

"No, really!" Amaya insisted. "Despite your fear, you came to see me up here tonight. But...it took me so long just be able to do this. To speak to you. I couldn't push aside my fear for one second over the month just to say 'hello'." A gentle smile curved the corners of her lips, but there was shame in her eyes. "But I guess that's the way I've always been. Sorry, isn't it?"

"Not at all," Syo answered genuinely.

"What?"

"That song that you wrote," Syo began. "Singing it to the whole school like that, _that_ took bravery. And not only that, but hard work and commitment too. Even risk, considering this school." He paused to turn over on his side to face her completely, his temple resting on curled fingers. "Don't sell yourself short, Amaya."

Amaya gazed deep into his large, alluring, pale blue eyes, feeling as though her very soul had been wrapped in up in warmth. "I won't," she promised him. "Not anymore."

Syo's thoughtful smile grew even as he looked away. "The stars are starting to come out," he observed, regarding the darkening sky. "It reminds me of your song."

_This whole night reminds me of it_, Amaya thought gleefully. _Only it's even better than perfect._

"Amaya?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you...," Syo hesitated as his crimson hue returned. "Would you...sing it to me?"

"Right now?" Amaya breathed in surprise. "But I don't have my guitar, and I don't know if I can remember all of the words exact-"

"Please," Syo insisted, turning his gaze back to her. "I want to hear you sing again. That is all."

It was impossible now. Amaya couldn't say no to those eyes if her life depended on it. "Alright," she surrendered with a sweet laugh. She sat up cross-legged, Syo joining her of course, and cleared her throat. After gathering the lyrics in her head, she at last began to sing.

Halfway through the first chorus, Amaya was surprised to a halt by the sudden harmony in the air. Syo's own voice stumbled to a stop a moment later as well. He had been singing with her. "Sorry," he murmured shyly.

"No." Amaya grasped his hands gingerly, metal bangles clinking together softly as she did so. "Sing with me, Syo-kun."

A pause lingered between them as their eyes fixated on one another. But at last Syo returned her grasp twofold as he leaned closer to her. "From the beginning," he said.

The harmony of their voices mingled perfectly with the soft cadence of the descending night.

_Perfection... _

~~~~~~~~~~~Monday morning~~~~~~~~~~

Ringo-sensei sighed in exasperation as he looked upon the empty desk next to Amaya at the back of the class. _Either she's sick, or we're about to have a repeat of last week_, he predetermined. Despite his already present suspicion, he walked to the back of the class to speak with Amaya, who seemed fairly...distracted. "Amaya-chan?"

The purple-haired girl did not respond as she continued to stare dreamily out the window, a longing smile on her face.

"Amaya-chan!"

"Huh?"

"Have you seen Shiro-chan?"

"Who's Shiro-chan?" Amaya asked deliriously, doodling chibi Syos all over her notebook.

Ringo sweatdropped. "Your...roommate?"

"Never heard of her," Amaya sighed contently.

"O...kay then."

Off to the side, Masato chewed his lip in thought. _Hopefully, wherever she is, she's not...with_ him. His pencil snapped in two in his hand at that last thought.

But then, just as Ringo-sensei had predicted, the sound of a mic tuning up echoed through the halls. "Hello everyone," a stoic female voice said.

Amaya snapped out of her delirium for the time being as she heard the familiar voice. _Oh right_, she thought, that _Shiro_.

"This is a song for someone very close to my heart," Shiro stated.

Masato's heart cracked wide open. _She really _is_ going to serenade him. _

"Hopefully after this, all doubts will at last be cleared." The sophisticated tone of a cello began to flow from the speakers. "This is '_Song From the Soul_'." The cello morphed into a jazzy tune.

_Looks like I'm not getting that much sleep,_

_Until you make an honest girl of me._

_Honey, quit wasting time._

Masato's eyes widened. _Not sleeping? What is she implying?!_

_It's too hard to,_

_I don't want to_

_Let this moment go._

_It just feels right._

_Been up all night,_

_Just to tell you so,_

_Cant you hear the words that I'm saying to you? (oh)_

_You seem like you're troubled so I'll give you a clue (whoa)_

_Baby, I Wanna make you mine~!_

Masato clenched his fists hard and stared down at his desk in near tears. _Please let this torment end soon. _

_Hello, Prince Charming,_

_Can you hear me now~?_

Masato nearly gasped at the last line. "Prince...Charming?" he whispered.

_I care more than_

_Words will allow~_

_It's too hard to,_

_I don't want to_

_Let this moment go._

_It just feels right._

_Been up all night,_

_Just to tell you so,_

_It's too hard to,_

_I don't want to_

_let this moment go._

_It just feels right._

_Been up all night,_

_Just to tell you, oh..._

_I adore you So~!_

When the music at last faded, Shiro's calm voice spoke up again, "I hope you enjoyed the song, and I hope that any misunderstandings that existed beforehand have been cleared. Thank you."

And then the system went silent.

Shiro exited the room, her demeanor calm even as her heart pounded harder than it ever had before. Upon opening the door, she came face to face with Shining Saotome himself. Shiro froze where she stood, as if the world would crumble beneath her feet. "Um...h-hello principal Shining...sir," Shiro stammered nervously.

"Shiro," Shining rumbled threateningly. "Get to class."

"Yessir!" Shiro squeaked as she ran like a bat out of hell. As a result, her plan to walk calmly back into class did not go accordingly. "Amaya!" she exclaimed urgently as she spotted her friend, "He knows!"

"Of course he does, you just sang it to him!" Amaya said cheerfully. "That was a great song by the way."

"Maybe...but it just cost me my life!"

"What are you talking about?"

At that moment, the mic tuned on yet again. But this time, it was activated by an authorized personnel. Shining himself. "Shiro..." he repeated in that same threatening tone.

"_That's_ what I'm talking about," Shiro whimpered nervously.

"Oh," Amaya breathed in shock. _Well at least he didn't catch m-_

"...and Amaya," he continued menacingly.

"Oh...crap," Amaya whispered timidly.

"Here at the Saotome Academy, we have one important rule," Shining went on. "And the two of you are no exception."

Syo glared up at the intercom as if he wanted to rip it out of the ceiling. _You can't take her away from me_, he thought bitterly. Images of that wonderful night flashed in his mind. _Please, you can't... _"Amaya..."

Masato's eyes were drawn to Shiro in panic. _She can't leave yet!_

Amaya's eyes began to burn with unshed tears. _But it's too soon. I don't want this to end, no matter the risk. _Her heart thudded painfully as images of Syo flashed in her mind. _Goodbye, Syo-kun_. 

_ I haven't even gotten to speak to Hiji- ….Masato-sama yet, _Shiro mourned, actually crying. _Damnit! It can't end like this!_

END AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: THE END! Trolololol

Shiro: Amaya, don't scare the readers! This isn't the end...I don't think.

Amaya: It's not! But just let me have my fun. My sick, sick fun.

Shiro: Sick is right!

Amaya: You're just as messed up!

Shiro: ...Yep! Ain't denying it!

Amaya: Precisely. Anyway, stick around for the next chapter, which will hopefully be soon!

Shiro: If not, we'll at least come up with a goofy filler chapter or something. Bye!


	6. Forbidden Love (Kind of)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: Okay, so this chapter isn't as long as our last one, but there is a good reason for that. We were actually working on our longest chapter yet, but we decided that the first and second halves were very different from each other and deserved to be their own chapters instead.

Shiro: I can't wait 'till our next chapter!

Amaya: Which will hopefully be done soon...ish. It's already five pages long. And hopefully _this_ chapter will satisfy any curiosity.

Shiro: Enough of our ramblings, enjoy!

Disclaimer: We do not own Uta Pri.

Chapter 6

"Here at the Saotome Academy, we have one important rule," Shining lectured ominously into the mic. "And the two of you are no exception."

Shiro and Amaya cringed as they awaited their impending doom.

"Come see me in my office," he ordered. "Immediately. And bring your bags, you will need them."

The girls stood from their chairs, their eyes downcast and their hair overshadowing their faces, even trembling slightly as their worlds came crashing down at their feet. "It's been nice getting to know you all," Amaya said quietly with a slight bow to the collective of the class. But in truth, she was only thinking of Syo. Someone she was certain she would never see again.

Shiro brought her gaze up just enough so that Masato could see the tears in her eyes. All she could offer him was a proper bow before the two of them exited the classroom. For the last time, they predicted.

They walked through the hallways slowly, desperately trying to prolong their stay at Saotome Academy somehow, boys or no boys. They paused outside of Shining's office as if they were about to meet their executioner.

"I can't go in there," Amaya whispered meekly.

Shiro clenched her fists tightly in defiance. "This is all your fault," she muttered.

"Huh?"

Without bothering to answer, Shiro opened the door and stepped into Shining's office.

Amaya followed her, anger boiling to the surface. "Hey! What are you talking about?"

"This whole mess is your fault!" Shiro clarified.

"My fault?! How?"

"You made me realize my feelings! Don't you know how disastrous that is for me?!"

"Oh yea, sure, that's _my_ fault! What kind of empty world would you be in if you _didn't_ know your feelings? Hmm?!"

"One where I don't get expelled!"

"Neither of you are getting expelled," a much deeper voice intervened.

"What?" they breathed in unison, their eyes suddenly going wide with hope.

"It's true that love can be distracting...," Shining continued in a perilous tone.

Shiro and Amaya waited restlessly for him to continue speaking.

Suddenly though, Shining spun in his chair rapidly and stood up, throwing his arms out with a flourish as he bellowed with odd laughter. "But if I had learned anything in all my years as a super idol, love can also be an inspiration! And you ladies have clearly represented that with your wonderful songs! _That_ is why you will continue to study here at Saotome Academy! I will even make a one-time exception for the both of you and your love interests in regards to the 'No love allowed' rule."

"But...you said over the intercom that we _weren't_ an exception," Shiro pointed out. "Ow!" she cried out a moment later as Amaya stomped down hard on her foot.

"Did I now?" Shining asked with his large, disturbing grin still on his face. "Well I lied! Don't you know celebrities lie all the time?"

"See?!" Amaya exclaimed with joyful tears as she smiled and pointed to Shiro. "I _told_ you love could be inspirational!"

"For once I'm happy you're right!" Shiro shouted back, equally emotional.

"Good! Now give me a hug, you bitch!"

"Just this once, you moron!"

Hopeful thoughts of Syo and Masato played within their minds as they embraced. But their mirth was quickly disrupted as the principal's foreboding tone returned.

"But...,"

"Eh?"

"You must still keep your love a secret from the rest of the school." He pointed accusingly to them, causing them to flinch. "If you are reported openly showing your affections in public, you and your partners may receive punishment that could potentially damage your careers as idols."

The girls swallowed.

"What kind of punishment?" Amaya asked timidly.

"For each time that you are caught, I will contact one major agency and have you and your partners black listed!"

"Black listed?!" Both girls gasped at once.

"Yes, black listed!" Shining exclaimed, sounding disturbingly cheerful again all of a sudden. "Once you are black listed by an agency, they will never allow you to work for them, dramatically lessening your opportunities as a rising star."

_I'd never forgive myself if I was the reason Syo-kun's career was ruined,_ Amaya thought with a heavy heart, hardly thinking of her own circumstance.

"You must understand," Shining continued, dropping his voice back down to his more serious tone once more, "We can't have the other students complaining of unfairness... And that reminds me, just so there is none of that after this particular visit, I hereby declare that the two of you will be assigned _double_ your work this week!"

Both girls paled. _We were already doing double the work to begin with_, they thought as their shoulders sank.

"You no longer have to worry about being expelled," Shining assured, ignoring their reactions. "Just be sure and watch your backs. Also, I don't want to catch you using the intercom system again."

"That's okay sir, we've had our fill," Amaya assured nervously.

"Uh-huh," Shiro agreed shakily.

"Fantastic!" At that moment, the bell for lunch rang. "I suggest you ladies skip lunch for today and head for the library. You have a very busy week ahead of you."

The girls slumped even further. _So that's why we needed our bags._ "Yes sir," they mumbled drearily in unison. They exited the principal's office at last, receiving many curious looks from passersby. They felt relieved and defeated all at once.

"Well...we didn't get expelled," Amaya said with half-optimism.

"And I thought I was a zombie _last_ week," Shiro groaned. "But at least I brought snacks this time."

Amaya looked down at her feet as if her head was heavy with burdensome thoughts. "We get to stay here. But Syo and Masato won't know that until we see them later." She pressed her fingers to her temples as if to push back her negative thoughts. "Ahh! I can't stand to think of it!"

"They probably think we're gone," Shiro deadpanned.

"No, _really_?!" Amaya replied sarcastically.

"And they probably feel terrible now."

"Thanks, that makes me feel sooo much better!"

"But that'll make it even better when they see us later, right?"

A lovestruck smile crept across Amaya's face at the thought. "True," she sighed dreamily. "It'll make the moment so much sweeter."

"Why did I even bring that up?" Shiro muttered with a facepalm. "You do realize that you can't show your _feelings_ for one another in public now, right?" Shiro reminded her, saying the word "feelings" as if it were a disease.

"We were never really allowed to do that to begin with," Amaya pointed out. "Besides, that's even better! You and I, each with our own little secret love...such a beautiful story."

Shiro rolled her eyes as they entered the empty library. "Let's just get to work."

"Right." Amaya followed her friend inside, trying to push away her nervous anticipation. _Maybe he won't worry _too_ much..._

~~~~~~~~~~In the lunch room~~~~~~~~~~

Still having not given up on hope, Syo looked around desperately for Amaya. But within the sea of students in the lunch room, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Syo-chan," Natsuki spoke up, his voice gentle for once. "I think she's gone."

"Shut up!" Syo snapped as he slammed his fist down on the table. "She's got be here," he insisted as he continued to search. But his hope fast began to fade. He looked down, the shadow of his hat hiding his distraught face. "She...she can't be gone." A single tear hit the table top, but Syo quickly hid it beneath his arm. _Amaya..._

But Syo was not alone in his worries.

_ She's really gone now. I can't get her back._ Masato thought as he gripped his tea cup. _Not this time. _

"It's a shame that the Little Mouse had to leave so soon," a familiar sultry voice said from behind.

Masato did not even spare him a glance.

"And to think," Ren continued, "after she wrote that beautiful song for me."

"It wasn't for you," Masato whispered half to himself.

"Hmm?"

"It wasn't for _you_!" Masato shouted as he threw his cup to the ground, causing it to shatter at Ren's feet. He stormed away as tears welled in his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~In the classroom~~~~~~~~~~

Masato walked into the empty A class and took his usual seat. He looked to the side, where he would have normally seen Shiro, and his heart fell. _I'll never see her sit there again, _he lamented.

He did not bother to look up from his desk as the sound of a rattling doorknob interrupted the silence.

"I'm tired," a familiar voice grumbled.

"It's only been one hour since we started our extra work," another voice spoke up.

Masato's head whipped around in shock as he immediately recognized those voices. _She's...still here! _

"I didn't sleep last week. Or this weekend. And now I won't get any sleep this week either!" Shiro reminded her callously.

"I didn't get much sleep either ya know!"

"I hardly _ever_ sleep!"

"If you never sleep in first place, then what are you complaining about?"

"I _need_ sleep! I _like_ to sleep!"

Amaya rolled her eyes. "Maybe Shining should have just expelled me and kept you," she muttered in annoyance. "Then I wouldn't have to hear this."

Shiro smirked evilly. "Yea, and Syo wouldn't miss you at all. He's probably found someone else already."

"Shut up! He would so miss me!" Amaya countered as her face reddened. "And there's no way he's found someone else already! ...Oh god...what if he did?! He needed to fill the void so he abandoned me!"

"Calm down, I was kidding," Shiro grumbled. "Besides, it hasn't even been a whole day yet."

"Okay fine, you're right. It's just that I'm really stressed out about our work, and I'm being irrational...again," Amaya said after a session of rapid breaths. "But he still must think I'm gone! I haven't been able to see him today!"

"Well I haven't been able to see Ma-," Shiro stopped mid-word as she spotted a blur of blue out of the corner of her eye. "...Hello, Hijirikawa-san."

Silence loomed over them for a few moments. But at last, Masato spoke. "Hello, Shiro-san."

Warmth arose behind Shiro's cheeks, keeping her eyes locked on Masato's for a few moments more. But that did not last long before she turned her stare to the front of the empty class. _Ohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrapohcrap... _

Amaya watched the spectacle, almost feeling embarrassed _for_ her friend. _How incredibly romantic_, she thought as she shook her head.

When students began filing into the classroom, the trio realized that the bell had rang a short time ago, but there had been too much mental chaos for them to have taken notice. "Amaya-chan! Shiro-chan!" A cheerful voice called out.

The girls cringed at the sound of Ringo-sensei's voice. They knew what was coming.

"So glad to see you both still here! I hear that I have to assign the two of you twice the work for this week," Ringo-sensei stated as he approached them.

"Uh-huh," Amaya concurred with a weak smile. _I guess Shining really wasn't kidding about that. _

_ I never doubted it for a second, _Shiro thought as she cried comically.

Ringo-sensei leaned in and whispered to them suggestively, "But it was worth it, right?"

Amaya sighed contently and smiled. _Yes..._

A majority of Shiro's skin flushed bright red.

Ringo-sensei started to walk away, but then offered a wink as he called over his shoulder, "You two may have a busy week ahead, but that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you!"

An unexpected slam resonated through the air. "I wouldn't want you to!" Shiro shouted indignantly. But a moment later, she collapsed onto her desk, losing all consciousness.

Amaya sweatdropped. _Whatever energy she had, it was spent on _that_. _

~~~~~~~~~On the usual walk back to the dorm~~~~~~~~~~

"We need to learn two new dances, write and compose two songs, do two talk-show simulations later this week, and let's not forget in-class notes and our instrumental lessons," Amaya listed off all their tasks, sounding more and more drowsy with each count off.

"Stop it!" Shiro groaned. "I'm getting tired just hearing it!"

"Me too," Amaya agreed. "But if it's what we have to do...," she trailed off as her academic thoughts drifted away. "Wait...Syo-kun! I still haven't spoken to him today!" Amaya scanned the courtyard for the small blonde idol. Her heart sang as her prayers were answered.

Syo walked listlessly on the opposite side of the courtyard towards the boy's dorm, dragging his feet and keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Shiro, I'll be right back!"

"Yea, me too," Shiro mumbled futilely as she veered off in the other direction.

Amaya sprinted towards him, calling his name joyously. "Syo-kun!"

Syo lifted his eyes to her, his glum expression quickly overtaken by rapture. "Amaya!"

Amaya came to a halt a few feet in front of him, resisting the urge to throw her arms around him. _We can't get caught, _she reminded herself cautiously. "You won't believe what the principal told me! He...he made an exception for _us_!"

"What?" Syo questioned in misunderstanding. But then his face brightened as the realization came to him. "What?! That's great! Wait...exception? Didn't he say-"

"He lied!" Amaya cried happily.

Syo beamed, his large eyes alive with hope. "Amaya, this is amazing!" He stepped forward, his arms out as if he were about to embrace her...

But Amaya thrust her arms out in front of her to stop him. "No, stop!"

"Why?" he asked, obviously hurt.

Amaya's heart cringed at his tone. _So. Freaking. Cute._ "As much as I would _love_ that right now," she began, "we can't let ourselves get caught out in the open." Amaya did her best to explain the situation at hand, sparing no details from the office earlier today.

"Black list?" Syo gasped. "He can _do_ that?!"

"Apparently he can," Amaya sighed. "And what's worse is that I have a ton of extra work this week as a stand-in punishment," she squeezed the stack of notebooks in her arms as if to strangle them. "I...I was hoping I could spend my time outside of class with you but...taking both courses..."

"It's alright," Syo assured her. "I can wait. I admit, I've never been the patient type, but I can wait." He smiled warmly at her. "Besides, I'd like to hear the songs you come up with."

"Oh Syo-kun," Amaya sighed blissfully. She glanced around cautiously and took a step closer to him. "I better make this quick," she whispered to him. "While no one is looking."

"Huh?"

Any other questions Syo might have had were silenced in that moment as Amaya pressed her lips to his cheek in a gentle kiss.

Both of their faces were burning by the time Amaya pulled away.

"T-this weekend," Syo spoke up after he composed himself. "I'll come see you when you're finished with your work!"

"R-really?" Amaya sputtered. "It's a promise?"

"Of course," he confirmed. "Like I said, I'll be waiting!" Syo offered her another knock-out smile and a tip of his hat before heading off to the boy's dorm again, a slight spring in his step.

Amaya's heart fluttered as she too walked away. _So...__**SO**__ Worth it. _In the midst of her thoughts, she accidentally bumped into Shiro. "Where have _you_ been all this time?"

"Putting a note in Hijirikawa-san's locker explaining our situation," Shiro answered.

"What? Why couldn't you just tell him in person like I just told Syo?"

"For one, I was asleep for most of class. Second of all...I can't speak to him! ...yet."

"Oh, right," Amaya sighed as she shook her head. "You will soon," she assured her, looking off in Syo's direction. "Trust me."

~~~~~~~~~~After many hours of laboring over their notebooks~~~~~~~~~~

Amaya groaned and rubbed her aching wrist. "If I write one more lyric,my fingers will snap."

"Glad I'm ambidextrous," Shiro commented smugly.

A vein ticked in Amaya's forehead. She tossed a pillow at her friend in frustration and went back to work.

Shiro glared at the stray mark on her paper that had been caused by the pillow's impact. "You...made me mess up my lyrics!" she growled demonically.

"Shut up or I'll mess up your face too!" Amaya shouted back.

"Make me!"

Their argument was brought to a halt by a knock at the door.

"...I'm not the only one who heard that, right?" Shiro asked cautiously.

"No?" Amaya answered suspiciously.

Shiro got up to answer the door. No one stood on the other side, but she found a holed-up box sitting at her feet that was addressed to her. Carefully, she picked it up, brought it inside the room and inspected it.

A high-pitched, muffled squeak-like noise could be heard from within.

"AHH!" she cried in surprise. Trying to avoid dropping the box, Shiro carefully set it down on her bed.

"Is something _alive_ in there?!" Amaya asked urgently, eyes growing wide.

"I'm scared to open it now," Shiro whimpered.

Amaya came forth and poked curiously at the box.

"Mew!"

"Wait..kittens? Kittens!" Amaya exclaimed. "But...uh, why?"

"I have no idea," Shiro responded as she gingerly tried opening the box. Once the box was open, sure enough two small kittens popped out. One black female angora kitten, and one white male angora kitten, both with blue eyes.

"Aww, they're adorable!" Amaya cried happily. She picked up the white one and held it up before her face. "This one reminds me of Syo-kun!"

Shiro rolled her eyes. But then she caught sight of a scrap of paper. "Hey, there's a note inside," she reported as she took it in her hand.

The note read: _Your song was beautiful and uplifting. To thank you, here is a token of my affection. It's only a week. I will be waiting for you. -Masato Hijirikawa_

"Oooooh," Amaya cooed suggestively. "What a surprise. It's from Prince Charming."

Shiro's face burned bright red. "Um I-I...I think I need to name these two!" she proclaimed, trying to quickly change the subject. "They can't go without names."

"Okay, then what are you gonna call them?"

"Hmm...the black one's female sooo, I'll name her Mitsuki. And the white one is male, so I'll name him Shintsuki. Full Moon and New Moon."

"Cute...and ironic," Amaya commented.

Shiro's mask of stoicism slipped off for a short moment as she admired the fuzzy creatures. "Aww, you're so cute," she cooed as she scratched their chins gently, rousing a soft purr. But that same mask was quick to return as she looked up at Amaya. "Let's get back to work."

Amaya sweatdropped. "Sure."

Halfway through the night, the girls were still working hard. But their diligence had little to do with the short amount of time on their hands.

END AUTHOR'S NOTE: Shiro: Yay, nother chapter dones!

Amaya: Yep. Oh! By the way, we have a DeviantArt now! ( .com) There isn't currently anything on there yet (at least not at the time we're typing this) but there will be soon!

Shiro: Mostly drawings relating to our stories, and maybe other fun stuff.

Amaya: Next chapter is already well in the works, so keep an eye out!

Shiro: Yayz!


	7. Worth! It!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: And now here's the second half of what was supposed to be our sixth chapter! ...Increased by 200%.

Shiro: Don't cha mean 1000%? Eh? Eh? *nudge nudge*

Amaya: ...Quiet you.

Shiro: ...No! Anyways, enjoy the new chapter!

Disclaimer: We do not own Uta Pri

Warning: Depending on your level of tolerance for sappiness, you miiiiight wanna leave. The fluff is _strong_ in this one. Also, long chapter is long.

Chapter 7

~~~~~~~~~~That next morning~~~~~~~~~~

"Mew! Mew!"

"Eh?" Shiro opened her heavy eyes to see her two new kittens pawing softly at her face. "No, not now," she groaned. "I'm sleepy." Shiro rolled over on her side and got a good look at the clock. The late hour caused her to scramble desperately out of bed. "Shit! Amaya! Wake up!"

"Huh?" Amaya stirred and lifted her head from her pillow, yawning as she did so.

"We overslept! We're gonna be late!"

"What?!" Amaya too sprang from her bed and rapidly started to get dressed. "We cannot get detention on top of everything else or we'll be screwed!" she cried.

Within less than a panic-filled minute, both girls were good to go. They rushed out the door, not even bothering to shut it behind them.

They arrived in class not a moment too soon, for the bell rang the moment they sat down in their seats.

"Made it!" Amaya gasped exhaustively.

"Yea," Shiro panted in return.

"Mew! Mew!"

"Eh?" Shiro looked down to see her kittens doing figure-8s with her feet. "What?! Mitsuki! Shintsuki! How did you get here?!"

"Crap, we didn't close the door to our room!" Amaya realized.

"What are those cats doing here?" a femmy but stern voice scolded abruptly.

"R-Ringo-sensei!" Amaya jumped back in surprise. _Must he always do that?_

"I'm sorry, sensei! They followed me here!" Shiro explained, nearly bawling.

Masato covered his mouth discreetly as he watched the hilarious spectacle. There was a glimmer of concern for Shiro within him, but he couldn't help but laugh.

"Pets are not allowed in the main building," Ringo-sensei reprimanded. "I'm going to have to ask you to take th-"

"Mew! Mew!"

"Eh?" Ringo-sensei looked down to see both kittens looking up at him with their bright blue orbs, as if pleading him to let them stay. He picked one of them up and held it before his now beaming face. "Aww! How cute!" A moment later, he set the kitten on Shiro's desk. "Alright, they can stay. But for this morning's class only! I don't want to see them again, or I'll give you both another additional assignment!"

Amaya's eye twitched in horror at the thought as her exhaustion tugged at her muscles. _Oh God please no. _

"Yes, Ringo-sensei," Shiro surrendered.

Ringo-sensei confirmed the deal with a nod and smile before walking away. But then he stopped again. "Oh, and Amaya?"

"Huh?!" Amaya's spine stiffened at the sound of her name. _We're already treading thin ice, what now?!_

"Don't forget your hat next time."

"Huh?" Amaya reached up, but found that the hat Ringo-sensei had given her was not sitting atop her head as it should be._ Crap, we were in such a rush this morning I must have forgotten it._ "Yes, Ringo-sensei," she too surrendered with a sigh of relief. Amaya glared accusingly at Masato. _Thanks for your _freaking_ gift, Prince Charming. _

Throughout the rest of that morning's class, Shintsuki crawled into Shiro's bag to take a nap while Mitsuki playfully batted at her pencil as she wrote. "Stop it, Mitsuki!" Shiro whispered desperately. "Mommy's trying to work."

"Mommy?" Amaya asked as if she didn't know whether to laugh or gag.

"Shut up," Shiro hissed.

Amaya shrugged, tore off a strip of paper from her notebook and scribbled something on it. She rolled it into a tiny ball and flicked it to Masato. He gave Amaya harsh glare as the paper bounced off his face. But Amaya simply gestured to the scrap of paper with a mischievous smile.

Reluctantly, Masato unrolled the paper in his hand.

_ I guess that makes you Daddy, _it read.

Masato's face flushed instantly and completely, quickly dropping the offending paper as if it were on fire.

Shiro spotted his expression in her peripheral, wondering what could have caused such a reaction. She looked accusingly to Amaya.

But Amaya simply continued writing class notes as she hid the huge grin behind her palm.

Shiro shook her head and continued with her own notes. That is, until Mitsuki took another bat at her pencil, causing yet another stray mark. Shiro headdesked in frustration. _Damnit Mitsuki._

When the morning class ended, Shiro and Amaya headed off to take the kittens back to the dorm room.

"I can't believe your damn cats almost got us into more trouble!" Amaya snapped.

"Don't insult my kittens!" Shiro defended.

"Hey, I like cats, but if they get us into anymore trouble-!"

"Don't you hurt my babies!" Shiro growled threateningly.

"Sheesh, I'm not going to _hurt_ them!" Amaya assured her. "But if we get anymore work we're going to be dead by the end of the week!"

"True," Shiro agreed tiredly. "Anyway, we might as well catch up on our work when we get to the dorm."

"Yea, I guess," Amaya sighed in defeat.

The girls dived back into their notebooks as soon as they got back to their dorm room, emergency snacks on standby. The two kittens play-fought on the floor as they studied.

However, Amaya was only able to write out a few notes before her head began to throb. "Ugh, this is too much to do all at once," she groaned. "Work all night, _and_ all morning! I need a break of some kind." She stood up and stretched her weary muscles. "Maybe we should get some actual lunch today. We don't want to push ourselves too hard. We'll overload ourselves if we keep working continuously like this."

"Okay, I guess you're right," Shiro agreed as she too stood up.

On their way down the hall, Amaya caught the sight of a textbook under Shiro's arm. She sweatdropped. "Uh, Shiro. That's not considered taking a break."

"I'm not writing, I'm just reading," Shiro explained flatly. "By the way, can I borrow your glasses?"

Amaya facepalmed and handed the thin frames over to Shiro. "At least you _asked_ this time," she grumbled.

Luckily for them, the lunch line had already diminished greatly. Yet despite this, Amaya did not join Shiro in line. "I thought you wanted to come in here to get lunch," Shiro said.

Amaya laughed at her friend's naïve connotation. "Oh _please_. Good luck with your studying!" She gave Shiro a brief wave before quickly making her way towards the unsuspecting blonde boy.

Syo poked unenthusiastically at his food. He had been more than happy that Amaya was permitted to stay at the Academy, but he still inwardly cursed Shining for giving her that double work punishment. His patience had never been as strong as his determination, and four days was sounding like an awfully long time. Especially after that kiss. And to think, if he had only turned his head just a little...

_Stop thinking about it,_ Syo commanded himself. _If Natsuki sees my face red again, I'll hear about it for the rest of the day. _

Speaking of which. "Come on, Syo-chan, you should eat," Natsuki spoke up, temporarily pulling Syo from his thoughts. A lighthearted chuckle escaped him as an amusing thought came to mind. "Then again, if you don't eat maybe you'll stay smaller and cuter longer!"

"You're bringing that up _now_?!" Syo shouted in vexation, practically stabbing his fork through his plate.

"Syo-kun?"

Syo froze. "A-Amaya!" He exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here? I thought you said you had work to do."

"I do," Amaya confirmed with a short laugh. "But it was getting to be a little much, so I took a break." She leaned in closer and flashed him a wink. "Besides, do you honestly think I could have waited until the weekend to see you?"

A gracious smile spread across Syo's face. _Guess she's not much of the patient type either_, he thought with a light chuckle.

"So cute!" Natsuki gushed, shattering the enchantment of the moment. "The two of you are so cute together! Especially the way Amaya-chan has to look down to be eye-to-eye with you, Syo-chan!"

A vein in Syo's head pulsed in irritation. _Does he always have to point out my height just to tick me off?_ He thought as he held back his rage.

"Um, just a suggestion," Amaya whispered, an edge of embarrassment in her voice. "But maybe we should go somewhere less...open."_ And somewhere with less Natsuki. _

"Uhh, right!" Syo agreed with a blush. "See ya later, Natsuki," he said quickly before rushing off with the purple-haired girl.

"Aww, so cute! Good luck, Syo-chan!" Natsuki continued to rave as they hurried away.

They both groaned.

~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~~~~

Shiro glared disbelievingly at Amaya's back as she made her way to Syo. _Oooof course. _After gathering her tray in her hands, Shiro caught sight of Masato, who was surprisingly enough sitting next to Ren. She walked over to them casually, taking care to never look into Ren's eyes. "May I sit here?" she asked Masato impassively.

"Of course," he answered tonelessly.

Without another word, Shiro took her place across from Masato and opened her book, alternating between eating and reading.

Ren looked back and forth between the two, as if expecting something to happen. But as the silence lingered, he shook his head in disbelief. He looked to Masato with a condescending smirk. "You really don't have any experience with ladies do you?"

The drinks on the table rattled as Shiro stood up and slammed her fist down. "Don't you dare insult Masato-sama-I mean Hijirikawa-san like that!" she snapped.

"Masato...sama?" Masato echoed aloud. An amused smile crept across his face and a low chuckle rose from within his throat.

Ren looked at his childhood friend in awe as Masato erupted into full-blown laughter. Unable to suppress his own amusement, Ren was quick to join him.

A rose-like hue clouded Shiro's face, she sank back in her chair and set her book up to hide her face. _Shut up_, she thought feebly.

When Masato recognized Shiro's distress, he immediately silenced himself. He turned a harsh glare upon Ren, who was still laughing. "Stop that. You're making her upset."

Ren chuckled for a few seconds longer before claiming in a guilt-provoking tone, "You laughed first."

Masato reddened indignantly. He looked down and away as if ashamed of himself.

"It's okay," Shiro stated flatly as she eased her book back onto the table. "I would have laughed at me too."

"All the same, please forgive me," Masato pleaded, still not looking up at her.

"There's nothing to forgive," Shiro murmured into her book.

Ren gave another brief chuckle as he watched the awkward pair. "You two are hopeless," he said as he stood up from his seat.

Both Masato and Shiro glared daggers at the womanizer.

"Ren-sama!"

Out of the blue, a small flock of girls approached Ren as if he were some kind of god. "Ren-sama, it's been so long since you've spent any time with us!" one of them whined.

"Yes, please join us!"

"Come with us, Ren-sama!"

Ren looked back to Shiro once more. It was infinity clear now that she only had eyes for Masato. Across the room, he spotted Amaya, who was fully and blissfully fixated on Syo as they snuck off together. _It's not worth my time anymore_, he decided. "Of course ladies," he answered at last, giving that customary red-hot smile of his. "It is unforgivable that I have abandoned you for so long. But I have returned, and I am here to stay."

"KYAAAAA! REN-SAMA!"

"Man whore," Shiro muttered as both she and Masato glared at Ren.

Ren glanced back in annoyance just in time to see Masato nodding in agreement. But he nonchalantly shrugged it off and walked away with his adoring flock.

The awkward pair locked eyes with each other only for moment before turning their concentration back to what was in their hands.

_Come on, say something_, they both mentally begged each other.

~~~~~~~~~~Outside~~~~~~~~~~

"You're roommates with Natsuki, right?" Amaya asked. Her and Syo now walked side by side in the courtyard, headed towards the shore of the lake, her second favorite spot on campus.

"Yea," Syo answered with an exasperated sigh. "He's a nightmare to live with, but he means well."

_Awww, he cares about his creepy friend, _Amaya thought as she stifled a giggle. _How sweet. _

"KYAAAAA! OH REN-SAMA!"

Both Syo and Amaya flinched at the sudden assault on their eardrums. They glanced back to see Ren walking contently with a small crowd of girls trailing after him. They couldn't hear exactly what he was saying, but whatever it was, it only made the girls scream louder.

"Looks like he's back to normal," Syo commented irritably. He gave a soft chuckle. "And to think...,"

"Hmm?" Amaya perked up in curiosity.

"I actually thought you and Ren were together."

"What?!" Amaya blurted, recoiling in horror at the thought. "Oh no no no no... no! Syo, sweetie, Ren is...disgusting."

A pause hung in the air as they stared at each other blankly for a few heartbeats.

But the silence was gone as quickly as it had come as both of them burst into laughter at seemingly the exact same moment. The pair didn't stop even as they reached the lake. Syo was on the verge of doubling over, having to hold onto his hat to prevent it from toppling off his head. When he finally calmed himself, he wiped away a beaded tear, turned to Amaya and said "It's only been a few minutes, and you've already made my day."

"I could say the same," Amaya replied sweetly as her own stream of giggles ended. "But you make my day just by being you, Syo-kun."

Syo repressed another laugh. It was a corny sentiment, but her words made his heart swell nonetheless. He leaned in a bit closer toward her, a hopeful glimmer in his heavens-hued eyes."So, are you going to come here every day this week?"

Amaya's shoulders slumped. "I want to, more than anything. But I just have _so_ much work to do! I shouldn't even really be here _now_ but...I just needed this one day." She sighed and stretched her weary muscles. "Especially after being up all night, I was so tired and in a hurry this morning that I even forgot my hat."

Syo paused for a moment, contemplating what to say. Then for whatever reason, he found himself removing his own hat. Coincidentally, it was the very same one that Amaya had almost ran off with on the first day of school. Without a second thought, he placed it upon Amaya's head.

"Huh?" Amaya looked up at him in question with a light blush on her face. "Syo-kun, what-"

"Keep it," he intervened, smiling softly. "If we can't see much of each other this week, I at least want you to keep something that reminds you of me."

Amaya wanted so badly to embrace him right then that she almost proclaimed, "To hell with black-listing!" But she restrained herself, grasping her own shoulders as warm cheerfulness spread from the core of her heart and all throughout her body. "Thank you, Syo-kun," she replied instead. "This will definitely help get me through the week." A giggle bubbled up within her despite her efforts to hold back.

"What's so funny?" Syo asked in amusement.

"Looks like I got your hat after all," Amaya teased.

They both erupted into another fit of lighthearted laughter.

The smile remained on Amaya's face, but her brow creased in slight guilt. "I only wish I had something to give you in return."

Syo glanced over his shoulder watchfully, finding that no one in particular was nearby. His own smile became a devious grin. "Hmm," he contemplated aloud as he tapped his cheek suggestively. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

Amaya got the message almost instantly. "Really now?" she inquired playfully as she leaned in closer.

"Mm-hmm," Syo uttered as he tilted his head to one side and glanced away coyly. "I don't know what, but I'm positive of it."

The purple-haired girl leaned in closer and pursed her lips just as she had yesterday, her intentions clear...

But then, at the very last instant, Syo took the opportunity he had missed last evening. He turned his head towards towards her, causing their lips to meet.

They both knew that they should make this quick, given their circumstance. But they took a risk, freezing themselves in that wonderful kiss for a few good, long moments.

When they finally pulled away to catch their breath, not particularly a result from the lack of air, they held each others' gaze in silence. Though their eyes said everything they needed to know.

_I hope no one saw that_, Amaya thought cautiously. But her worries seemed lost as she felt Syo's gentle breath against her face. _But...Who needs a big name agency anyway?_

~~~~~~~~~~Thursday night~~~~~~~~~~

"Finally, the last night," Amaya grumbled. "But still so much to do!" Both her and Shiro had arrived back at their dorm a few minutes ago, and they gotten right to work as always. Amaya had done her damnedest to shut her heart up for the last few days in order to finish her load. Just so long as she didn't think about that Tuesday afternoon... _Stop it! Bad Amaya! _She mentally scolded herself as she snapped at her wrist with her pencil. _You can fantasize when you're asleep! Which is technically __dreaming I guess...Damnit! Focus! _

"Yea," Shiro sighed. She completed one final stanza, stood up and announced, "I'm finished."

"WHAT?!" Amaya shouted. "How did you get done so quickly?!"

"Well, remember Tuesday?"

Amaya frowned in irritation, knowing the nagging that was about to proceed. She clutched the brim of Syo's hat, which she now swapped out with Ringo-sensei's hat every evening, and attempted to take a smooth, calming breath.

"I was _studying_ at lunch that day, so there ya go," Shiro said smugly.

A vein throbbed in Amaya's temple at her friend's condescending tone. "Oh trust me, _I_ was studying too," Amaya stated with a sly smile suddenly creeping across her face. "I was studying _anatomy_."

Shiro's eyes went wide in horror and disgust.

Amaya looked up at her with her brow cocked in disbelief. "What? I was kidding! …Mostly."

The white-haired girl only grew more repulsed as she recoiled from her friend.

"Tsh, you're such a prude," Amaya scoffed as she turned back to her notebook.

"Well anyway, if you would have just stu-"

"Shut up."

"I'm just saying that-"

"Shut up."

"But-"

"Shut _up_!"

"Okay then," Shiro threw up her arms in defeat. But then she smiled victoriously. "Well, while you're stuck in here, I'm going to go see Masato."

"Why? To have another lovely session of awkward silence and nervous flinching?"

"I can't be the one to start the conversation, he has to say something to me first! But I have something on my side this time," she gestured to the basket near the door, filled to the brim with fresh melon bread.

"Well, your melon bread is good. But Masato doesn't seem like the type to talk with his mouth full," Amaya said as she began snickering.

An angry red clouded Shiro's face. "Laugh all you want! But my date's gonna be great!"

"If you say so," Amaya gave in. "Just remember to look him in the eye for more than half a second!"

Shiro tossed her friend another spiteful glare as she slung the basket on her arm. "Come on Mitsuki, Shintsuki!" she called to her kittens. "_Someone_ has to get their work done." As Shiro closed the door, a loud _thud_ could be heard on the other side. Most likely a thrown book, was her best guess.

~~~~~~~~~~Masato and Ren's dorm room~~~~~~~~~~

Masato's hands fidgeted about nervously as he adjusted the collar of his shirt. His eyes became sharp as they fell upon Ren. "Don't you dare embarrass me tonight," he demanded.

"What_ever _do you mean?" Ren asked with mock innocence.

He kept his seething gaze upon Ren and raised his finger as if to speak. But then...

_Knock knock knock. _

Masato's face instantly blazed a glowing red. Though outwardly he was quick to compose himself, inwardly he felt as if his heart were about to leap out of his throat. With a shaking hand, he somehow managed to open the door. "Shiro-san," he greeted with a slight bow.

Shiro offered him a slightly embarrassed tender smile. "Hello, Hijirikawa-san," she greeted in return. She held up the basket on her arm "I brought treats!"

"Do _I_ get some of those...treats?" Ren inquired, adding a wink with the last word.

A deadly aura emanated from Masato, nearly filling the room.

"Well, I don't see why not," Shiro answered calmly.

All of the color drained from Masato, and his face contorted into an expression of shock.

"But I don't think you're as big a fan of melon bread as Hijirikawa-san," Shiro continued to explain tonelessly. But inwardly she shuddered. _Ew ew ew ew ew ew EW! _

Masato gave a great mental sigh of relief as he gestured for Shiro to join him. "Please, come in," he insisted politely.

"Mew! Mew!"

"Uh...," Shiro began apprehensively. "Sorry, I brought Shintsuki and Mitsuki with me. Amaya still hasn't finished her work for this week."

"It's no trouble," Masato soothed. "Are you enjoying them?"

"Yes, they're quite sweet," Shiro responded.

"Mew!" Mitsuki had begun to paw anxiously at Masato's leg.

Masato smiled kindly down at the tiny creature and picked it up. The kitten purred and licked his face in appreciation. The usually stoic traditionalist closed one eye and chuckled softly.

A bright crimson bloomed across Shiro's face at the sweet sound of his laugh. But then she snapped back into attention. "Wait, where's Shintsuki?" She spotted the small white kitten perched on Ren's bed, glowering and hissing at the cocky playboy.

"How cute," Ren said with a condescending smile.

Shiro walked over and lightly tapped the kitten on the nose. "No Shintsuki, you do not hiss at people. Even...er, him. Now go over to Hijirikawa-san and your sister before I put you in time-out."

Shintsuki's ears drooped in guilt and he looked down to the floor as he padded his way to Masato.

"You're quite the mother, aren't you?" Ren murmured sincerely.

Shiro was taken aback by the unusual gentleness of the womanizer's voice.

But he was quick to regain his true colors. Ren took Shiro's chin in his hand and tilted her gaze up to his. "I can only imagine how you would handle _real_ children," he purred suggestively.

Masato stiffened, seeming as though he were ready to rip Ren limb from limb.

Trembling slightly, Shiro reached up and pushed Ren's hand away. "I guess you'll just have to find out through the media someday." _Oh god, it hurts to grow a spine. _

The words calmed Masato, but a trace of red still lingered on his face.

At last, Shiro returned to stand before Masato. "So what did you have planned this evening?"

"Uh...," Masato hesitated, his mind still a bit clouded. "I...made dinner for us."

Shiro looked down at the kotatsu table adorned with grilled fish, miso soup and rice. All resting upon fine flatware.

The rest of the night went relatively smooth despite the occasional snide comment from Ren and the two kittens' attempts to steal their fish. As the night ended, Shiro was saying her farewells before heading back to her dorm. "Uh...g-goodnight, Hijirikawa-san," she stuttered.

"Goodnight, Shiro-san," he replied, still slightly quivering himself.

Shiro glanced over Masato's shoulder to make sure Ren wasn't looking. She clutched the collar of his shirt and pulled him down for a quick kiss on the cheek. Then she high-tailed it down the hall, leaving Masato with a pleasantly stunned expression as he touched his cheek.

Upon arriving back at the dorm, Shiro seemed to stare off aimlessly into space. "I'm back," she announced in a hollow tone.

"Uh-huh," Amaya replied casually, for once far too invested in her work to take much notice of her friend.

Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Shiro made a dash for her bed, diving face-first into her pillows and squealing happily.

For moment, Amaya looked up from her papers in shock. But then she quickly lowered her gaze back to her sheet music, shaking her head. _No, that sound couldn't have come from _her, she decided. _That's what I do_.

~~~~~~~~~Next morning~~~~~~~~~~

For the first time all year, Shiro actually arrived in class after a majority of the students, her face adorned with modest, flattering make-up. She spotted Amaya in the back, tirelessly attempting to finish her assignments. Without bothering to greet her busy friend, Shiro simply made her way to her seat. As she began unloading her essential notes onto her desk, her eyes suddenly met with Masato's.

Expectantly, both of them flushed bright red.

_Ohcrapohcrapohcrapdon'tfaint!_ Shiro told herself.

Amaya, suddenly sensing the tension in the air, at last looked up. When she saw the mortified expression on Shiro's face, she smiled slyly. "Saaaaaaaay I never did ask...what 'cha do last night?"

"N-n-nothing unusual for typical dates!" Shiro stumbled helplessly over her words.

"Does that include the goodnight kiss?"

Shiro internally shattered.

"I thought so," Amaya teased in a sing-song voice. But then she returned to her work as quickly as she had turned away from it.

"If you had gotten your work done, you would have had the exact same night, if not better," Shiro countered with a cruel grin.

The tip of Amaya's pencil snapped beneath her fingers. "SHUT UP! I KNOW WHAT I WAS MISSING OUT ON! DON'T RUB IT IN!" she shouted in defiance as she threw a string of school supplies at Shiro.

The grin did not leave Shiro's face as she held up her binder to shield herself, her tail wiggling mischievously.

Masato watched it all from the corner of his eye as usual, trying his best not to laugh too loudly.

~~~~~~~~~~In the library, during lunch hour~~~~~~~~~~

The pulse in Amaya's veins grew quicker as she came close to the end of her grueling paper-lined journey. She looked over the strokes of red that were scattered all throughout the page, where all the changes had been made. And now, with one final stroke, those changes had been made perfectly.

"I'm...finished," she muttered to herself as she slowly lowered the sheet music back onto the table. "I'm finished!" she cried triumphantly.

Those near to her shushed her in annoyance.

"Sorry," Amaya whispered. She glanced up at the clock on the wall, her heart skipping a beat as she realized that there was only a few minutes left until lunch ended. "Crap!" she whisper-cried in panic. As quickly as her hands and feet would allow it, Amaya gathered up all of her belongings and rushed from the library, determined to make it to the lunch room in time. Luckily, it was so late into the hour that nearly everyone had taken a seat, meaning there were few walking about to block her vision. "There!" she cried when she spotted him, his back facing her. Resisting the urge to draw attention to herself by running or calling his name, she walked over to him as quickly as her caution would allow.

But unfortunately, when she at last reached him, the bell for class sounded, echoing off the walls as if to taunt the defeated Amaya. "Damnit," she muttered.

Syo's eyes widened in surprise as he stood up and turned around, nearly crashing into her. "Amaya! What-"

"I finished my work!" Amaya blurted out. Her head dropped in shame as she added, "Though apparently not fast enough."

Syo smiled at her as they joined the flow of bustling students. "It's okay, we're still on for tonight right?"

Amaya nodded, smiling hopefully back at him. "Right!"

"Great, I'll see you then!" Syo promised before rushing off to class.

Amaya watched him go, hugging herself in delight. "Tonight...," she sighed contently. But then a bolt of realization struck her like lightning. _Wait...tonight. But when? And...where?! _"Wait, Syo-kun!" She glanced around frantically, but Syo had already disappeared into the mass of students. "Crap...," she whimpered.

~~~~~~~~~~Later that night~~~~~~~~~

Amaya checked herself in the mirror again. She wore a sleeveless black dress with a cinched in waist, accentuating her curves. The camisole that she wore underneath was a deep, silky blue, matching nicely with the hat Syo had given her. A web-like black necklace adorned with cyan gems encircled her neck, and a sapphire ring that she had received for her birthday two years ago sparkled on her finger. She was dressed to the nines without knowing where to go. She paced the floor nervously, babbling on in confusion. "Damnit! How could we forget to say where to meet up?! Where should I go? What time should I leave? Should I go anywhere at all? What if he's waiting for me somewhere already, wondering where I am?! He might think I've stood him up! I don't know what to do!"

A very tired Shiro glared up at her in aggravation. "I'm sure he will remember and come get you, now shut up!"

"You're right, I should just wait...but for how long?!"

"Amaya," Shiro growled irritably.

"Well can ya blame me for worrying?!" Amaya exclaimed. "It's already pretty late, so what if he just-"

_Tap tap tap. _

"AHH!" Both girls cried in fearful surprise.

"Did you hear that?" Shiro asked nervously.

"Um...maybe we're just imagining things!" Amaya suggested.

_Tap tap tap. _

"AHH!"

"Okay, I could be wrong!"

Shiro grabbed her pen as a meager defense weapon and hid behind her bed. "Go see what it is!"

Amaya turned, eyes wide as she pointed to herself in disbelief. "Me?!" She stared hard at the withdrawn curtain that lead to the balcony, trying not to image some hideous beast on the other side. But then she clenched her fists in determination. _What would Syo do? _With her heart racing, she approached the balcony entrance and clutched the curtain tight in her hand. In one quick _swoosh _Amaya pulled back the curtain, flinching and closing her eyes as she did so. Hesitantly, she opened one eye and looked up. What she saw caused her heart to leap. But not with fear. "Syo-kun!"

Syo smiled at her, placing one hand affectionately on the glass. "I told you that I'd come to see you," he said sweetly, his voice muffled by the transparent barrier.

"How did you...did you _climb_ up here?!" Amaya inquired with shock as s

he gestured to the edge of the balcony.

"Yes. Yes I did!" Syo confessed as he puffed out his slender chest and crossed his arms proudly. But then he made the mistake of glancing over the edge, sending chills down his spine. "Can I _please_ come in now?!" he asked shakily, his tone on the edge of begging.

"Oh! Right!" Amaya fumbled with the lock and slid the door open, allowing Syo to immediately stumble to the safety of the room.

Syo cleared his throat as he attempted to regain his dignity, shoving his hands into his pockets and shrugging coolly. "Yea, it was no big deal. I just hope I didn't scare _you_."

Amaya waved her hand in defense and laughed uneasily. "O-of course not! Whatever gave you that idea? Ehehehe...," she looked over her shoulder at Shiro. "Excuse me a sec," she told Syo. "Don't move!" Swiftly, she made her across the room and kneeled down next to her friend's bed. "Listen um..._please_ go away!" she begged desperately.

"What?!" Shiro exclaimed in anger.

"Look, I hate to ask this but... please, _please_ go _somewhere_ that's not _here_! I'll do anything you ask!"

Silence lingered between them as Shiro glared at her spitefully. "Fine...but you owe me!"

"Of course! Anything!" Amaya promised with a grateful nod. "Thank. You. So. Much!"

"Yea, yea," Shiro sighed as she grabbed her phone, keys and pillow. She slipped on a pair of shoes and headed for the door. She only paused in the doorway for a moment to say, "Take care of the kittens." And then she was gone.

When Amaya turned back to face Syo, all of her breath was nearly stolen from her. He stood in front of the now-open curtains, letting in the silvery-blue light of the night shine through. The moonlight gave Syo's already haunting eyes an ethereal, otherworldly glow.

Syo seemed just as enchanted by her. When he came to his senses again, he asked with a sly grin. "Did you really have to get all dressed up like that?"

Amaya tapped her fingers together and looked away sheepishly. "I...I wanted to look nice for you," she admitted. "I don't look _that_ ridiculous, do I?"

"N-no! Not at all!" Syo sputtered. "That's not what I meant! I-I just...I mean, you look..." He paused to swallow his pride. "You're...beautiful, Amaya."

A smile surrounded Amaya's kind features. "You're the sweetest, Syo-kun." At last, she had gained the courage to step closer to him. Though a slight pang of guilt ran through her as she realized how high above him she stood in her three-inch heels. _Maybe I should have at least worn different shoes_.

But if this bothered Syo at all, he gave no sign of it. He reached out and gently took her hands, pulling her closer. "Amaya, we have this night all to ourselves."

"It appears we do," the purple-haired girl agreed breathlessly. She grasped Syo's hand tighter and pulled him towards the foot of the bed, causing it to creak softly as they sat down. "Syo-kun, I've missed you so much. I wish we could have more nights like this."

"I know," Syo said tenderly. "I hate that we have to hide like this. Constantly looking over our shoulders to see if anyone is watching us." He reached up and took her face in his hands reassuringly when he saw the hurt in her eyes. "But whenever I'm with you, I know without a doubt that it's all worth it." He leaned in, his resplendent eyes half closed as their lips drew closer. "Besides, tonight we don't have to worry about any of that."

"Syo-..."

Whatever Amaya had been about to say, the words were lost in another kiss. Only this one was a hundred times better. This time, here was no tension of worry or nervous anticipation. There was no creeping suspicion of unwelcome spectators. There was no need to be ready to pull away abruptly. Here alone, they were connected. They were safe. Just like their first night together on the roof.

_I could _definitely_ write a few songs about this_, Amaya thought as her spirits soared. When their lips finally parted, Amaya pleaded softly, "Tell me everything."

"Huh?" Syo breathed, still slightly drunk from the kiss.

"About you," Amaya clarified. "I feel so close to you already. That night on the roof, it made me so happy that you were willing to share your fears with me. But I want to know more. I want know you better than anyone else in the world, Syo-kun."

Syo smiled and shrugged in submission. "Alright." He lured her in for another kiss. "But only if I can know everything about you too, Amaya."

Head reeling and heart racing, Amaya nodded in agreement. "It's a deal."

The glow of the moonlight shifted gracefully across the room as they talked the night away, pausing only for the (not so) occasional kiss. They talked about what life had been like for them as children, what they hoped to become after graduation, their various interests, and ideas. Syo got especially excited when Amaya casually mentioned her DVD collection on _The Prince of Fighting_. Their voices were cheerful and jubilant at the talk of pleasant memories, and would become more somber at their less pleasing recollections. But it did not seem to matter either way. With each new word they spoke, their hearts drew nearer to one another. They had come to know that they were different in so many ways. But so similar in many others.

When it seemed as though their voices would at last give out, they leaned on each other drowsily.

"It's getting late," Syo pointed out, his tone taking on a melancholy touch.

"Is it now?" Amaya teased with a short, sleepy laugh. Though her heart was sinking as well. The night had come to an end.

But instead of walking away, Syo only held her tighter. "I don't want to leave, Amaya," he admitted.

"Then...don't." The purple-haired girl gave him an inviting squeeze. "Why should you have to leave? Stay with me tonight, Syo-kun."

Syo paused for a moment, but honestly he could think of no glaring reason not to stay. Except for maybe Natsuki wondering where the hell he was. _But_, he thought with a humorous smile, _I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. _"I will," Syo whispered back, his breath tickling the nape of her neck.

Once more, Amaya was soaring. "I'll be right back," she promised as she stood up. She walked over to her dresser and produced an old grey tank top and purple jogging shorts from it, and then headed for her and Shiro's private bathroom. After a few minutes, she had stripped herself of all fine attire, make-up and jewelry. Now she instead wore the clothes that she had grabbed from the dresser. And Syo's hat of course. She wanted to wear that until the very second before her head had to hit her pillow.

Upon walking out of the bathroom, she was greeted by a most becoming sight. Syo lie in her bed clad in nothing more than his boxers, the rest of his clothes sat in a small pile on the floor. He seemed impressively at ease until her eyes actually fell upon him. "T-this is just how I usually sleep," he explained haltingly. "I'm not trying to imply anything!"

_Aww, that's too bad, _Amaya thought, her inner mischief beginning to surface. But soon she too was blazing at the thought. "That's alright," she assured him shakily. She inched uncertainly to Shiro's empty bed. But she could not deny the gravitational pull. _Ahh to hell with it all! _She thought valiantly as she climbed into bed next to him.

Syo's heart quicked as she greeted him with another kiss.

"I'm not quite as elegant as I was a few minutes ago," Amaya sighed half-jokingly, referring to her now unmade image. "I hope it doesn't bother you."

"Hope _what_ doesn't bother me?" Syo asked in rhetoric fashion as he smiled charmingly.

Amaya smiled back and placed her hat on the nightstand. "You always know what to say, Syo-kun," she murmured breathlessly as she settled in.

Syo reached out and pulled her in, adjusting himself so that her face could rest on his chest.

It was a wonderful feeling, even though Amaya could feel his feet brushing partway up her calf in this position. _So small, but so strong, _she thought as she beamed contently.

"Goodnight, Amaya," he whispered.

Warmth overcame her as she breathed in his scent and drank in the nearly foreign tenderness of his voice. "Goodnight, Syo-kun." For so long, Amaya had always tried to stay cheerful to make up for all the times she had spent in loneliness. But no joy that she had ever felt, whether it was fake or not, compared to this. _I love you. _

~~~~~~~~~~In the meantime, in Masato and Ren's room~~~~~~~~~~

Ren lie in bed, stripped to the waist as he twirled a dart around his fingers.

Masato wore a black silk yukata as he sat up in bed and read a book by the meager light of his lamp.

Both of them were simply winding down after another long day. But then...

_Tink...tink. _

"Hmm?" they both inquired at once. They stood up and walked to the balcony in curiosity, Ren for whatever reason having to wrap his sheets around his waist.

There stood Shiro in the courtyard alone, clutching a pillow to her chest, looking up at them sleepily.

_Did she come to see me?_ Masato wondered as heat arose in his face. _But why so late at night?_

"Well, well," Ren purred. "It seems she couldn't stay away."

Masato scowled at the playboy and dragged him away from the balcony door by the wrist. "Don't start that now. How are we supposed to get her up here?" He paused in thought for a moment, but an idea came to him quickly. "Your sheets!" Masato exclaimed as he pointed to the sheets wrapped around Ren's waist.

A devious smile crept across Ren's face. "Alright, if you insist." He tugged at the sheets, causing them to fall, revealing the entirety of his naked body.

Masato pulled his hand away as if it had been burned by acid, his face contorting in complete disgust. "Nevermind!" he shouted frantically. "Put it back on!"

"Oh come now," Ren replied coyly as he re-wrapped himself. "I always knew you were a prude, but there's no need to shout. Besides, it's not like she can see me from here." He chuckled slightly. "How unfortunate for her."

Masato repressed his mounting rage and rushed out onto the balcony. He held up a single finger, signaling for Shiro to wait where she stood.

Shiro gave a single nod in understanding before she settled down cross-legged in the grass and began fidgeting with her phone.

Quickly, Masato rushed out of the room to find a utility closet down the hall. After a few moments of rummaging around, he was able to locate a coil of rope. He came back and tossed one end over the balcony, lowering it down to Shiro.

Shiro got up and tossed her pillow up before she began to make her way up the rope. Masato, not knowing that she could climb a rope, attempted to pull her up. As a result, she was in his arms in no time.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered gently, not yet letting her go.

Shiro looked up at him imploringly. "Amaya had a visitor, so she kinda begged me to go somewhere else," she explained. "Would it be alright if I...stay here tonight? I'll sleep on the floor if I have to."

"Of course you can stay," Masato insisted. "But there's no need for you sleep on the floor. Take my bed."

"I don't wanna kick you out of your bed, so I'll just sleep on the floor."

"I'm not letting a young lady sleep on the floor!"

"Has it occurred to the two of you that you can share a bed?" Ren cut in deviously.

The arguing couple stared at him, aghast at his suggestion.

"Tch, prudes," he muttered with a smirk as he slid back into bed.

Expectantly, a silence fell over them.

But finally, Masato spoke up. "W-would it be alright with you if we..."

"Yea. Ehh... that seems... okay," Shiro stuttered, her face growing redder with every word.

Masato lifted the cover invitingly. "After you," he said with a blush.

"Okay," Shiro squeaked. She leaned down and crawled on all fours to the farthest corner of the futon.

For a solid minute, Masato stood indecisively. _I don't know if it's truly proper to be crawling into _bed_ with her. _

Shiro turned over and stared up at him in silent question.

_That just makes things more difficult!_ He thought.

"Just lie down with her already," Ren half-chuckled from across the room.

Masato was nearly startled right out his yukata at the sound of his voice. Masato sent Ren a glare so full of fire that it cut through the darkness. But then he directed a much more gentle gaze back down at the futon, and the girl in it. Slowly and shakily, the traditionalist climbed into bed. Albeit, to the farthest possible edge from the tinsel-haired girl.

Half an hour later, Masato almost succumbed to sleep. But then he spotted Shiro, still appearing to be wide awake as she stared in frustration at the ceiling. "Is there something the matter?"

"Ehehehe...," Shiro laughed weakly. "Um... there's something I probably should have told you earlier."

"You wanted to be in bed with me?" Ren's voice echoed from across the room.

"HELL NO!" Shiro shrieked as she bolted upwards. "I thought you were asleep, you idiot! What I was _going_ to say is that I'm an insomniac!"

Masato let in a sharp intake of breath and sat up to meet her eyes. "So...you can't sleep right now?"

"Yea, I generally only get to sleep when I pass out from exhaustion," Shiro explained wearily.

"I know a way to exhaust you," Ren taunted playfully.

"SHUT UP!" the couple shouted at once.

Ren only responded with deep throaty laughter.

Masato paused for a moment, contemplating what he could possibly do. Gingerly, he reached across the bed and pulled her close. "Since you can't sleep," he whispered, "there's something that I want you to hear."

"Eh?" Shiro looked up at him in question.

Softly, sweetly, Masato began to sing. Shiro instantly recognized the song as the same one she _thought_ he had played for Haruka. _I feel so warm...so safe_, Shiro thought as her eyes began to droop. She leaned comfortably on Masato's deceivingly strong shoulders.

Once the final lyric had left Masato's lips, he found that she had fallen asleep in his arms. "Sleep well, Shiro-san," he whispered with a tender smile.

END AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: See? I told you the fluff was strong in this one. The sick bags are to your left.

Shiro: And to the Ren fangirls out there... you're welcome. Hopefully that makes up for all the torture we've put him through.

Amaya: I'd say it does. Anyway, the next few chapters will most likely be more goofy and nonsensical instead of romantic like this chapter. But don't worry, we're not abandoning the sappy moments altogether!

Shiro: See ya next time!


	8. Good Morning!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: We mostly just want to briefly explain something that would be too trivial and tedious to mention in the actual story.

Shiro: Well, you know how girls take a long time in the bathroom? Yea, that's why the girls' dorms have private bathrooms when the guys don't.

Amaya: Also, once again this is the first half of what was supposed to be a really long chapter. But it was taking too long so we'd thought we'd split it. Sorry if not much happens here.

Shiro: Now that we've got that out of the way, enjoy!

Chapter 8

The golden light of morning filtered in through the windows, slowly rousing Shiro from her unconscious state. Her eyes remained closed as she snuggled comfortably into what she thought was her pillow. _My pillow is so warm this morning_, she thought. ..._Wait, why does my pillow have a heartbeat? _Memories of the night before came flooding back into her mind. _Oh, crap!_ She tried to pull away from him gently, but Masato had a rather tight grip on her.

At that moment, Masato began to stir, moaning softly as he awoke.

A volt of panic shot through Shiro's body. _Just pretend you're asleep_, she told herself. And that she did.

Masato, falling for Shiro's facade, smiled warmly down at her and slowly tried get out of bed without disturbing her. He stood up, never taking his eyes off her. However, at that moment he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Ren was also arising from his bed.

But this time, the sheets were not there to cover Ren and all his glory.

Anger and disgust boiled up from within Masato as he shouted, "PUT SOME CLOTHES ON BEFORE SHE WAKES UP AND SEES YOU!" He froze in mortification and clapped his hands over his mouth. He looked and caught Shiro turning over on her side, facing away from him as if she were tossing in her sleep.

"Alright, alright," Ren yawned irritably. He grabbed a pair of boxers and a pair of jeans, dressing himself accordingly. Although, he didn't bother to put on a shirt as he slumped back down on his bed. "Better?" he asked, giving him a sharp glance.

Masato remained silent as he glared back at the playboy. But his irritation was interrupted by the rustling of the covers below. Shiro sat up on the futon and stretched her arms out wide, yawning as she wiped a sheepish tear from her eye. "Morning," she mumbled.

Immediately, Masato covered his nose and mouth with his hand as he tried to block the approaching blood flow. "Morning," he responded, his voice muffled by his hand.

Off to the side, Ren chuckled in amusement.

For a few more moments, Shiro stretched her weary muscles. But then her eyes popped open wide in realization. "...Hijirikawa-san?"

"Yes?"

"I did not bring any clothes," she clarified in embarrassment as she looked down at her pillow.

"Oh," he breathed, his cheeks slightly discoloring.

"Yea...," Shiro sighed, still not meeting his gaze.

"Why don't you lend the lady some of your clothes?" Ren suggested smoothly.

For once, Masato felt no need to take offense at the playboy's words.

Shiro was still staring awkwardly down at her pillow when Masato handed her a carefully folded outfit. "Here," he said. "You can wear these until you get to your dorm and change into something better."

"Thank you, but um...," Shiro paused for a moment, looking around the fully open room. "How will I change?"

Heat flared in Masato's face. "I-I...um..." His muscles tensed as he sensed an alluring stare from across the room. Ren seemed more than just a little intrigued. "STOP STARING AT HER LIKE THAT!" He grabbed the sheets from the futon and held it high above his head, creating a makeshift curtain with it. "I won't look," he promised sincerely. "I give you my word."

As quickly as her shaking hands would allow, Shiro adorned herself in Masato's clothes, which consisted of a button up shirt and a pair of black jeans. "Okay," she spoke up at last. "You can drop the sheet now."

Hesitantly, Masato lowered the sheet. He was taken aback by her innocent appearance. She was staring at the floor, her hands gripping the hem of the borrowed shirt which was obviously much too large for her.

Shiro grabbed her night clothes and shoved them inside of her pillow, rushing towards the door as she did so. "I'll be back in a little while," Shiro babbled quickly. "I have to get changed and I have to make sure Amaya fed the kittens."

"Wait!" Masato called out to her.

"You're right!" Shiro exclaimed, coming to a halt. "...the balcony!"

A crestfallen expression overcame Masato's face. _What? _

Shiro went outside and tossed her pillow over the stone rail. She had one leg over the railing before she paused again. "I forgot something!"

Masato sat defeated on his futon, thinking that she was referring to her keys or phone. But to his surprise, he found himself being knocked back onto the sheets by the tiny white-haired girl. Before he could ask what was going on, she silenced him with a kiss.

As quickly as she had come, Shiro made yet another dash for the balcony, calling over her shoulder, "Thanks for letting me stay last night! I'll be back soon! Maybe we can have breakfast!" With that, she flung herself over the railing.

Still quite stunned, Masato remained lying on his back staring up at the ceiling. But then a blissful smile surrounded his face.

Ren rubbed his still weary eyes and shook his head as he watched. _How did he manage to get a lady into his bed before me? _

~~~~~~~~~~Meanwhile~~~~~~~~~~

Amaya's eyes fluttered open and the ceiling came into view. As the morning light poured into the room, she contemplated if last night had been all a part of one of her hopeless delusions. But then she stretched and turned her head sideways, coming nearly face-to-face with the still-sleeping Syo. His face was half-buried in the pillow that was clutched tightly in his arms, snoring very softly as he inhaled. The early sunlight cast an angelic glow around his contented face and bare back.

For a moment, Amaya feared that the sound of her pounding heart alone would awaken him. _He looks so peaceful_, she thought as warmth washed over her body. _I won't wake him up just yet._ Amaya drifted off to cloud nine as her soft breathing synced in tandem with his.

When at last he stirred, Amaya turned her head away, hoping he would not catch her staring. Impatiently, she waited until his heavy eyes were open to look back at him.

Syo smiled sweetly at her as their eyes met. "Good morning, Amaya," he murmured sleepily.

Amaya's heart thudded even harder now. _So...so adorable! _She collapsed back onto her pillow in a daze, feeling as though a grand fireworks display had been ignited in her heart.

"Amaya!" Syo cried out in concern, suddenly alert. He sat up quickly and straddled her, trying to get her unfocused eyes to meet his. "Are you alright?"

"You're not helping right now," Amaya answered listlessly, a delusional smile creeping across her face. "But that doesn't mean you have to stop. ...I-I mean...that came out wrong."

"What?" Syo froze as he felt the heat of Amaya's body beneath him, both of his knees tucked up snugly against her thighs. His own skin blazed with heat as he slumped down in shock, bringing him into a sitting position atop her hips. "I'm so sor-..." he trailed off suddenly as he noticed another "problem" upon looking down. "...ry," he squeaked in mortification.

Amaya's eyes popped wide open, her own face going as red as his. "Is that what I think-"

But Syo did not allow her to finish her sentence as he dove beneath the blankets beside her.

When most of the redness receded from Amaya's face, she sat up and cautiously poked at the bump where she suspected his shoulder to be. "Uhh...It's alright, Syo-kun. It's not so bad. You can come out now."

"No way! You'll laugh at me!" Syo's voice cracked with embarrassment as he pulled the sheets tighter over his form.

"No I won't," Amaya said stiffly as she repressed a giggle.

Though apparently she did not repress it enough. "See?!"

"Oh come on, Syo-kun," Amaya cajoled. But when he did not respond, an unusual air of mischief overcame her. And she welcomed it. "Alright then," Amaya said playfully. "You asked for it." She reached over and brushed his shoulder blades with the very tips of her fingers, racing them down his back in the likeness of a spider.

Syo cried out in both panic and pleasure. He tossed the covers back over his head and bolted upright."Would you stop that?!" he shouted.

Once again, Amaya's face flushed as a tight-lipped smile spread across her face. "Uh...Syo-kun?" she said, pointing to the (not so) offending area.

The blonde idol gave another cry of shame and threw the covers back over his head.

Tears beaded on the corner of Amaya's eyes as she pressed her hand tighter and tighter over her grinning mouth._ I'll leave him be, for now_, she thought mercifully. She grabbed some fresh clothes and went into her and Shiro's private bathroom to change. Slowly, she readied herself for the coming day, giving Syo a little time to calm down. Once she came back into the room, now fully dressed, she found that Syo was still hidden beneath the covers. _So cute, _she thought, nearly swooning again. At last, she spoke up. "I was thinking about something you said last night, Syo-kun."

"Hmm?" Syo hesitantly opened a small slit in the sheets. "About what?"

"Well...I hate that we have to hide ourselves too," she continued gingerly. "So I was thinking... what if we took a trip today? We could go to the city! We wouldn't have to hide from anyone!"

Syo uncovered himself again, his face beaming with hopeful approval. "You're right! It's perfect! We should go now!"

Amaya took a moment scrutinize his mostly bare body and giggled. "Right, because you're definitely dressed for a day on the town."

"Oh...right," Syo flushed as he looked down at himself. "Ehehe." He gathered his pile of clothes from the floor into his arms and frowned as he inspected the hopeless wrinkles that plagued their fabric. "And I'll definitely have to change into something better than this," he sighed. But then he gave Amaya a determined smile. "But as soon I'm ready, we'll go!"

Amaya couldn't help but giggle at his vigor. "Right!" she agreed with a nod as he hastily got dressed. "Oh! And maybe we can make it a double date with Shiro and Prince Ch-... er I mean Masato! Those two can use all the help they can get. Would you mind that, Syo-kun?"

Syo shook his head and gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up. "Sounds like a plan! Anyway, I should get going for now. I'll call you as soon as I'm ready!" He paused as he glanced back and forth between the front door and the balcony entrance anxiously. "People will be suspicious of a boy in the halls of the girls' dorm so early in the morning."

Amaya nodded in agreement, her brow creasing in concern as apprehension crept into his tone.

"That means I'll have to climb down the balcony again, doesn't it?" Syo deduced shakily.

"Ehehe...," Amaya rubbed the back of her neck and raised her other fist in half-enthusiasm. "Y-you can do it, Syo-kun!"

"You don't sound too sure!" Syo shouted as comical tears flowed down his face.

"Sorry," Amaya sighed. But then she came forth, bending down slightly to meet his eyes. "But maybe this will help." She leaned in for a lingering morning kiss.

"Yea," Syo chuckled when he caught his breath. "That definitely helps."

~~~~~~~~~~Back with Shiro~~~~~~~~~~

Shiro hurried along the courtyard as she made her way back to the girl's dorm. Just as she was about to pass under her own balcony, she caught sight of a falling blonde blur. She turned and saw a half-dazed Syo lying face-up on the ground. "Hello, Kurusu-san," she greeted causally as she continued on her way. "Remember to fall on your feet next time."

"Got it," Syo groaned as he stood up. "Wait...'next time'?"

Without bothering to stop and answer, Shiro stepped into the girls' building. Luckily, because of the early hour, there was only one or two girls in the halls to see her in her unusual attire, but they seemed too tired to care. Upon entering the room, she spotted Amaya checking herself over in the mirror.

"Shiro, you're back!" Amaya exclaimed without turning to face her just yet. "Look, I'm sorry I made you leave last night, but I think I've figured out-" she stopped abruptly as she finally turned, seeing Shiro in clothes that were clearly not her own. Amaya smiled devilishly. "Sooooo, where _did_ you go last night?"

"...Someplace," Shiro answered flatly.

"Well, I'm gonna guess a castle," Amaya said.

Shiro looked at her in annoyed confusion. "A castle? Where the hell would I find a castle? And why would I go there?"

"You know," Amaya cooed as she gave Shiro a nudge. "Prince Charming's castle."

Shiro groaned in exasperation and facepalmed. "Why me?" She pulled away, hurriedly grabbing some fresh clothes. "I don't have time for this! I'm supposed to be meeting Hijirikawa-san for breakfast."

"Yeesh, you can never take a joke," Amaya objected. But then her expression brightened as something occurred to her. "Oh right! Syo-kun and I had this great idea, what if the four of us went on a trip to the city today? We can make it a double date! And we wouldn't have to be secretive like we do here!"

"I'll talk to him when I get there!" Shiro responded frantically as she dug through her clothes. "And I'll text you the results!"

"So you _do_ wanna go?" Amaya inquired, a bit surprised. "To the city? ...Where there's _people_? Practically...everywhere?"

Shiro shook her head and threw her hands up impatiently. "Of course I do! Besides, I'm gonna be an idol, I'm gonna have to get used to people."

"Great!" Amaya exclaimed cheerfully. "Nice to see that you're finally coming out of your shell."

"I never had a shell," Shiro stated. "I had a _bomb shelter_."

"Can't argue with that," Amaya agreed with a sweatdrop.

Now fully dressed, Shiro took off, calling back to Amaya, "I'll see you soon!"

~~~~~~~~~~In Syo and Natsuki's dorm room~~~~~~~~~

Syo was still walking on air by the time he got back to his dorm room. Unfortunately, this gave Natsuki a chance to catch his off guard. The very second that he opened the door, Natsuki tackled him with a crushing embrace. "Syo-chan! I was so worried about you! Where have you been all night?!"

The small idol gasped for air as Natsuki continued to crush him. "Natsuki! Get off me!" he shouted thinly. When Syo managed to squirm away and catch his breath, he responded at last, "Don't play dumb, you _know_ where I was last night, I told you where I was going."

"But why were you out all night?" Natsuki whined. But then he gasped, his face that of mock heartbreak. "You were cheating on me, weren't you? How could you, Syo-chan! After everything I've done! And everything we've been through!"

Syo's face contorted in revulsion. "I get the point!" he snapped as a vein ticked in his temple. "Now cut that out!"

Natsuki dropped his facade and laughed. "I couldn't help myself. You're just so cute when you're angry Syo-chan!"

As Syo _tried_ to ignore Natsuki's deplorable comment, he began rifling through his closet.

"Are you going somewhere today, Syo-chan?" Natsuki provoked as he hovered over Syo's shoulder.

"Yes, but you don't need to know where," Syo responded bluntly.

"Why not?"

"Because you might try and follow me!" Syo was silent for a few minutes more as he continued to search, Natsuki hovering over him all the while. At last, he found the perfect ensemble for today, a bright pink button-up with black pinstripes with a tie to match, an open black vest draped over them, and light gray jeans that were rolled up to the knee. He reached up to grab it, but Natsuki snatched it away just as his fingers were about to close around the hanger. Natsuki held it high above his head as he looked down at Syo what that mockingly innocent smile. "Damnit Natsuki! Give that back!" Syo yelled in frustration as he attempted a grab for it, but his stature proved to be an annoying hindrance.

Natsuki held him back with little effort, his smile never faltering, as always. "You'll get it back when you tell me where you're going!" Natsuki teased in a sing-song voice.

A snarl curled Syo's lip as he glared daggers at Natsuki. "Fine! I've got a date with Amaya!" he admitted. "Now hand it over!"

Natsuki's unsettling smile took on a curious edge. "A date?"

"Yes! A date!" Syo exclaimed irritably, trying to not to blush. And failing horribly. "Now give that _back_!" Finally, Syo managed to make a successful jumping grab for the outfit, turning away in a huff as he yanked everything off the hanger.

"I guess it's a good thing I wished you good luck, Syo-chan," Natsuki reminded him pleasantly.

"I doubt that had much to do with it," Syo said with a roll of his eyes.

"But you _did_ get lucky last night, right Syo-chan?"

It seemed as though every ounce of blood in Syo's body rushed to his face. "NO! OF COURSE NOT!"

"So you're saying you're not lucky to have her?" Natsuki inquired. "She'll be so disappointed, Syo-chan."

"DAMNIT, STOP TWISTING MY WORDS AROUND!" Syo barked indignantly. "What I meant was... yes... But not like _that_! I-I mean I just-"

Natsuki burst into laughter, cutting Syo off. "Your face is so red right now, Syo-chan!" Quickly, he took out his phone and snapped a few pictures. "So cute! _Too_ cute!"

"STOP THAT, NATSUKI!" Syo shouted as he made a dive for the phone. "You're going to make me late!"

The commotion continued on for quite some time, much to Syo's growing irritation. But he knew that she would wait for him.

~~~~~~~~~~In Masato and Ren's room~~~~~~~~~~

"You try so hard to please her," Ren chuckled. "It's quite entertaining."

Masato did his best to ignore the womanizer's displeasing tone.

Ren tossed a dart across his side of the room, predictably hitting the target. Masato kept his back to Ren as he continued cooking in his open pit.

"So," Ren went on. "Do you love her?"

Masato shivered as if snowflakes were swirling around him instead of hot steam. _Do I...? _He bit his lip and tried to push the question out of his mind. Though deep within his heart, he knew the answer already. Still, if anyone was going to hear that answer first, it would be Shiro. His eyes seemed to slice the air itself as he glared over his shoulder, flashing a boning knife threateningly at Ren.

The playboy calmly held up his hands in surrender. "Calm yourself. I can take a hint."

_Knock knock knock. _

Masato set the knife aside and went to answer the door, feeling fairly unsteady in his usually graceful stride._ Breakfast with Shiro-san, _he thought with a blush. He opened the door and greeted her with his typical bow. "Hello, Shiro-san."

"Hello again, Hijirikawa-kun."

Masato's skin turned even redder in pleasant surprise. "What?"

"Oh, um... would you rather me call you Hijirikawa-san still? Or um... I could..."

"No, no! It's fine!"

"Oh, uh...good!" Shiro stood before him awkwardly for a few heartbeats, shifting from foot to foot.

"Oh, right, come in!" Masato prompted gently, stepping out of her way.

"Uh, thank you." Shiro bowed slightly as she walked in.

"How sweet," Ren intervened. "The both of you still so nervous after a night like that."

The couple chose to ignore the smart-mouthed playboy altogether for the time being. Shiro took her place at the kotatsu table as Masato finished preparing their breakfast.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention," Shiro spoke up. "Amaya asked us if we would like to join her and Syo in the city today. Kinda like a double date thing."

Masato glanced up at her and nodded. "That sounds like it would be fun." His eyes shifted up and away as he seemed to recall something. "In fact..."

Shiro leaned in curiously as he trailed off. "What?" she provoked.

"Nevermind that now," Masato said dismissively with a becoming smile. "I'll tell you once we're all together."

~~~~~~~~~~Back in Shiro and Amaya's dorm~~~~~~~~~~

Amaya sat alone on the balcony, watching as more and more meandering students filled the courtyard below. She looked anxiously at her phone, which still had not rang within the half hour Syo and Shiro had been gone. She knew she had to wait...but why was it taking so long?!

Just as she was about to set the phone down and relax, it finally began to ring. She answered it before the first tone could end. "Hello?"

To her delight, it was Syo's sweet voice that came through. "Hey, Amaya."

Her heart skipped a beat, for she could almost feel his lips against her ear again. "Hold that thought," Amaya said. She placed her fingers over the receiver and squealed gleefully. After that, she put the phone back to her ear. "Continue."

"I just called to say that I'm ready!" Syo reported earnestly. "Sorry I took so long. There were a few...complications," his last word dripped with irritation and sarcasm. Laughter could be heard in the background an instant later.

"Oh that's alright, Syo-kun," Amaya assured him lightheartedly. "I'm actually still waiting on Shiro to call me back with her answer too. Besides, we should really leave campus separately so no one gets suspicious of any of us."

"Oh...really?" Syo groaned in vexation, feeling as though someone had just dropped a stone on his head. _So there was really no need for me to rush after all. _

"But if you want," Amaya continued, "maybe we could meet down by the lake while we wait for them."

Syo's self-exasperation evaporated almost immediately. "I'll be right there!"

An instant after that, Amaya only heard a dial tone in her ear. "Syo-kun?" she said questionably into the receiver. With a soft laugh, she flipped the phone closed and stood up. She half walked, half skipped to the door, gushing shamelessly, "He's so undeniably _adorable_!"

In a few minutes time, she tread contently along the shore of the lake. Casually, she passed by the very spot where Junguji Ren had almost stolen a kiss from her. Amaya looked back on that day and laughed good-naturedly. It had seemed a bit strange to think of at first, but everything that had transpired after that day had lead to so many wonderful things. The song. The night on the roof. That Tuesday afternoon. Last night...

_Maybe that skirt-chasing dog isn't all bad_, Amaya thought with a scoff of pleasant disbelief. _In a twisted way, he helped me and Syo get together. And he helped Shiro too... _

"Amaya!"

"Hmm?" Amaya was pulled from her thoughts as she directed her gaze further down the shore. Upon looking up, she saw Syo sprinting towards her. _Wow, he's even faster than I remembered_, she thought with a giddy smile.

Syo caught up to her in no time, hardly even having to stop and catch his breath. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting," he said with a knowing grin.

Amaya was momentarily rendered speechless by the sight of him. She had rarely seen him in anything outside the school dress code, but today he had gone all out. _I never knew guys could look so damn good in pink_, she speculated in awe.

"Hmm?" Syo raised his brow, confused by her gape-mouthed stare. "Something wrong?"

With a brief giggle, Amaya shook her head. "Of course not," she assured him. "I just... I really like your style, Syo-kun."

The color of Syo's face suddenly matched his shirt. He smiled and shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "It's nothing. I just picked out the first thing I saw," he explained dismissively.

Another delighted laugh escaped Amaya as she stepped closer to him. "Come on, we can take a walk."

The couple walked together and began chattering excitedly about the coming day. Secretly, they were both aching for a kiss, or to hold hands at the very least. But now that the sun had risen a bit higher, there were other students milling about, starting off their weekends with a morning stroll.

A short time later, Amaya and Syo had taken up a spot on the grass. They took a break from their conversation as they peacefully watched the sunlight dance across the ripples in the lake. But then...

"Amaya?"

"Hmm?" The purple-haired girl turned towards Syo as his voice broke their brief silence.

"Just so you know," Syo began, a peculiar edge creeping into his tone. He turned and looked at Amaya with those beautiful blues as the corners of his mouth turned up in an enticing manner. "When we get to the city, I'm not holding back."

Heat rose immediately in Amaya's face, caught a bit off guard. She grinned and turned away, trying not to look as frazzled as she felt. "R-really now? And what do you mean by that?" But before Syo could get the chance to answer, Amaya's phone beeped, signaling an incoming text. She flipped her phone open, and predictably found that the message was from Shiro. "Oh, looks like Shiro and Masato are all for it! She's on her way to our meeting point now, so I should probably get going." She rose to her feet, but hesitated. "Wait, I still want to know what you meant by not holding back."

Syo paused for a moment in contemplation. "Tell you what," he began as he too rose to meet her eyes, "when we get there, I can just show you." He offered her a sly wink. "Deal?"

Amaya's heart skipped a beat. She gave a single eager nod. "Deal."

END AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: Ooooooh I like the sound of that!

Shiro: Of course you do. But I can't wait till next chapter.

Amaya: Yea, hopefully it'll be a little more eventful. The next couple of chapters are gonna be more episodic fun than anything, so sorry if you don't like stuff like that. However, we've got something really great in the works for later chapters!

Shiro: Until next time!


	9. Sweet Sweet Romance

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Amaya: Okay, I'm about to do an impression of Ritsu from Fruits Basket. *ahem* I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY! We know it's been a really long time since we've posted, but life has been an absolute bitch to us both lately. My mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and will be going into surgery soon. On top of that, money is extremely tight and I'm still trying to find a job even though I have been on the search for-fucking-ever.

Shiro: And my life just fucking got in the way no matter what I fucking did. First it's looking for a job. Then it's my dad has cancer. Then I have to go to school again. Fucking life, man.

Amaya: Anyway, I feel a bit guilty that this long-awaited chapter sort of just fantasy-fullfilling er... filler. Yeesh that's a lot of Fs. And we make the guys act out of character quite a bit here but... let us dream alright? It ain't called fan_fiction_ for nothin'.

Shiro: And you gotta admit, they damn sexy.

Amaya: One last thing, we keep switching between English and Japanese grammar when we refer to someone with their full name. We know this... but we'll probably just keep doing it anyway. That only seemed to bother _me_ but... whatever. Also yes, our characters have last names, they just haven't been introduced yet cause... well, we honestly didn't come up with them until last month.

Shiro: That and even in the story we have to hide them for reasons that shall not be revealed just yet.

Amaya: On with the story at long last!

Disclaimer: We do not own Uta Pri. Though we wouldn't mind owning all of the Uta Pri merchandise. All. Of. It. The bedsheets especially. *raepface*

WARNING: While nothing overtly sexual happens in this chapter, things do get kinda hot and heavy a little after the first third or so. Public displays of affection like this would realistically be pretty much unheard of in Japan but... we are hormonal as _fuck_. Again, let us dreeeeam~!

Chapter 9

~~~~~~~~~~In the heart of the city~~~~~~~~~~

Shiro and Amaya sat restlessly in a booth seat beside the window of the ice cream shop that everyone had agreed to meet in. "Come on," Amaya groaned. "Where _are_ they?"

"We've only been waiting for a few minutes," Shiro stated flatly. "Just shut up and be patient."

"Oh please, I can tell you're just as anxious as me this time," Amaya countered.

"Really?" Shiro asked uninterestedly. "How?"

"Look down."

"Huh?" Shiro looked down to see that the napkin dispenser on their table was nearly empty, and shredded bits where scattered all across her side of the table. She hid her face in her hands and groaned. But she quickly composed herself. "Well... _I_ still understand that it'll take them some time."

"I know that too!" Amaya exclaimed. "I just wish they were here _now_."

"Me too," Shiro sighed.

"So you admit it?"

"Any girl would wish that!" Shiro retorted.

"Again, you admit it?" Amaya provoked unrelentingly.

"...Yes. Happy now?"

Amaya smiled and did a little dance in her seat. "Very."

Shiro brushed the mound of napkin bits under the table and placed her hands firmly on her knees. "Well, while we're waiting, I might as well ask... although I've been slightly afraid to know the answer."

"Huh?"

"What _did_ you and Kurusu-san do last night?"

Amaya laughed and twirled a lock of her hair innocently in her fingers. "Why Shiro, why_ever_ would you be afraid to know _that_?" she asked, her tone dripping with suggestion.

Shiro paled. "Oh for God's sake! What if Mitsuki and Shintsuki were watching?!"

"Jeez, you do know they're cats right? Anyway, we didn't really do... _that!_"Amaya exclaimed, her face growing warm at the thought. "Man, you always take everything so seriously. We mostly just talked..." Amaya trailed off for a moment and then grinned. "Well, when our mouths weren't busy doing other things," she purred.

"If you're going to say stuff like that, could you not say it in that voice?" Shiro sighed with a facepalm.

Amaya shook her head, amusement evident on her face. "Impossible," she claimed simply. "Not when you keep reacting like the prude you are."

Shiro rolled her eyes. "Maybe Ren _did_ infect you somehow," she muttered.

"Oh ha ha, very funny," Amaya huffed with a roll of her eyes. "I promise that I'll stop now."

"Whatever. So, what did you talk about?" Shiro prodded on.

Amaya shrugged. "Just things. He was a little surprised when he found out that I like a lot of the same stuff that he does." A giggle rose up from within her. "He fanboyed so much when we started talking about _The Prince of Fighting_. It was _adorable_!"

"Oooooof course it was," Shiro commented sarcastically. "That boy could sneeze and you would think it's adorable."

"...No argument," Amaya replied shamelessly. She smiled contently, looking up and away as she relived last night's many tender moments in her mind. "But really, it's actually very sweet how much Syo-kun admires Hyuga-sensei though. He's actually sort of the reason Syo-kun wanted to become an idol," she explained. "Because of that, I feel like I should thank Hyuga-sensei somehow. Especially after I got to hear Syo-kun sing some of his own songs last night. This might sound weird but... to me it seems like Syo-kun puts the very essence of his being into his songs. They were so full of energy, valor and determination. But then the tempo would sometimes drift off to become gentler and even sort of... angelic." Amaya sighed dreamily, Shiro could practically see the hearts floating above her head. "Just like him."

Shiro shook her head, though for a change there was the slightest of smiles on her face. "It must be interesting in that airhead of yours."

"Hmph. Mock me if you must. But you know that you're just as crazy about your darling Prince Charming. You admitted it just a few minutes ago, remember?" Amaya teased with a wink.

"Maybe, but I try to keep it to myself," Shiro said flatly, though her skin was still tinged with red.

"So much for girl talk. You're no fun," Amaya sighed. But then she suddenly leaned in closer to Shiro, her blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Oh right! Has Prince Charming sang for _you_ yet? He even wrote a song just for you didn't he?"

The already present heat in Shiro's face flared all the more as the thought of Masato's beautiful, tender voice came to mind. A voice that had, by some miracle, soothed even her to sleep. "A-as matter of fact, he did," she answered shakily. Shiro fell silent for a few moments, a contented smile playing across her lips as she swayed to the melody that played in her head. But she snapped back into focus when she heard Amaya's snickering. "And would you stop calling him by that stupid nickname?!" she demanded hotly. "It's ridiculous!"

"But it's fitting, right?" Amaya further provoked with a laugh. "Especially considering... well ya know, things."

Shiro's eyes widened, suddenly seeming very rigidly alert. "Wait... when you were talking to Kurusu-san last night..." She stared hard at her friend and slammed her fist down on the table. "What the hell else did you talk about?!"

"Calm down!" Amaya scoffed. "If you're thinking that I told him about our lives back at home... Well, I did."

Shiro looked as if she were about to hyperventilate.

"I mean I told him what I was like when I was younger!" The purple-haired girl blurted. "Vaguely at least. In fact, I hardly talked about _you_ at all. So don't worry, I left out... you know. That one big thing." Amaya's voice had become softer on that last proclamation, as if there was an air of guilt behind it. "But... I think Syo-kun deserves to know. I promised that I'd tell him everything about myself last night. And I feel bad that I couldn't completely keep that promise." _It didn't help that I also couldn't even tell him the _real_ reason that _I_ wanted to go into the music industry..._ A familiar face of the past flashed in her mind for a brief moment. A face that she had once longed to see above all others. But she quickly pushed the image away and looked at Shiro squarely, her expression completely and unusually serious. "And _you_ should tell Prince Charming too. Maybe not now, maybe not even any time soon. But one day, they both deserve to know."

Shiro hung her head guiltily. "I know... we will eventually."

"Yes," Amaya nodded in agreement. "When the time is right."

_Ding!_

Amaya whipped around in her seat to see who had just come into the shop. The last few times that bell had sounded since they had arrived, it had been some stranger. But this was certainly no stranger. "Syo-kun!"

Syo smiled as he approached their booth and took his place next to her. "Sorry if I kept you-" his sentence was interrupted as Amaya pulled him in for a kiss the moment he sat down. When their lips finally separated, he did his best to shake himself out of his daze. "...Wait, what was I talking about?"

"You were talking?" Amaya responded playfully, drawing a laugh from Syo. Another _ding!_ resonated throughout the shop, but the sound did not register to her right away. Amaya turned to Shiro with a teasing grin. "So Shiro, where's _your_ slowpoke man?"

Shiro only offered a smirk in response.

At the same time, Amaya felt an unseen presence near her. And it clicked. "...He just walked in didn't he?" she asked with an awkward sweatdrop.

"You could say that," Masato's voice answered from behind. With out showing any signs of offense, he walked towards the booth and took his place next to Shiro. The couple smiled kindly to one another, but otherwise made no other moves.

Amaya shook her head as she watched their interaction, or lack thereof. _It's like they just met or something. _

Suddenly, the cheerful voice of a peppy waitress caught their attention. "Hello! My name is Momo and I'll be your server today!" Momo paused for a moment as she noticed the two gorgeous guys at the table. "How may I help you?" she asked in blissful bewilderment.

Protectively, Shiro grasped Masato's hand while Amaya linked arms with Syo.

Momo sighed and pouted slightly in disappointment, but was quick to regain her cheerful visage. She turned to Masato, notepad ready in hand. "Well then, why don't we start with you?"

Masato looked down to peruse the menu. His face slightly discolored as he found the seemingly perfect treat. But with a less than perfect name. "We'll take a...…"

Momo leaned in closer. "I'm sorry sir, I didn't hear that."

"I said, …... for two."

"Umm...I still didn't catch that," Momo said cautiously.

Syo tapped his finger on the table top impatiently as Masato repeated himself again, a vein beginning to throb in his temple. When the waitress still didn't hear Masato for the fifth time, Syo bolted up from his seat and slammed his fist down on the table in frustration. "OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" he shouted. "HE _SAID_ A LOVEY-DOVEY SWEET VANILLA DREAM FOR TWO!"

The silence that followed was so pure that the hum of the freezer in the back could be heard.

Syo stood frozen as he felt every eye in the shop fall on him, some were wide with shock and others were tearing up from holding back a fit of howling laughter. He slumped back down in his seat and pulled his hat over his face. "M-make that two," he stuttered meekly as he held up two fingers.

"And uh... make ours chocolate!" Amaya added brightly, trying to lighten tension. With a harsh, sweeping glare, she silently commanded the rest of the shop to go about their own business.

"Um...coming right up!" Momo chirped nervously, quickly scurrying away.

Shiro looked to Masato, trying with all her might to hold in squeals of delight over how cute he looked when he was blushing.

Amaya seemed to be fairing no better as she lightly tapped the near-petrified Syo on the shoulder. "Uhh...thank you for ordering for us, Syo-kun."

Syo's face flushed even more at her touch. "No problem," he mumbled, still not looking up.

The girls continued to try and help their men regain their dignity as they waited for their order. When at last their treats arrived, Shiro and Amaya's eyes widened at their extravagance.

Shiro was the first to take a spoonful. "Wow, this tastes amazing!" she exclaimed. She took another spoonful and held it up to the still mortified Masato. "Here Hijirikawa-kun, try some."

Masato looked up to her in surprise, a fresh shade of redness gracing his features. With a bit of reluctance, he opened his mouth and allowed Shiro to feed him. Wordlessly, he looked at her in adoration as she pulled the spoon away.

Amaya paused in contemplation, she knew there had to be a similar, or even better way of bringing Syo out of his gloom. She snapped her fingers excitedly and took a small bite of the treat. Gently, she reached over and lured Syo closer to her by his chin, bringing their lips together. "How does that taste?" she asked coyly as they pulled away. Almost instantly, Amaya saw that her ploy had worked to great effect. But perhaps it had worked _too_ well?

Syo looked back at her with a devious, hungry smirk. "Delicious." He leaned in closer, his breath now cold from the ice cream. "Can I have some more?"

Amaya practically melted into her seat as her face glowed. But before she could collapse, he caught her by the chin and murmured, "Can I?"

"Yes," Amaya gasped, her senses becoming a bit fuzzy. _You can have absolutely _anything_ you ask for._

Not willing to be outdone, Masato plucked a strawberry from their treat. "Shiro-san," he softly called her attention to him. As she looked up, he gracefully brought the strawberry to her lips. Shiro allowed Masato to place the thin end of the fruit into her mouth, but then unexpectedly he leaned down to take the other half in his mouth, bringing them into a (literally) sweet kiss.

Shiro's head was reeling so much that she did not even notice the trickle of strawberry juice running down her cheek. But Masato simply reached up wiped it away, creating a small translucent reddish bead on his finger, which was quick to disappear as he placed the sweet drop into his own mouth.

Syo glanced aside at the spectacle, his eyebrow raising in curiosity. _So, it's a competition now, is it?_

The two young men locked eyes for a moment, smirking deviously as they came to a silent understanding.

"What are they thinking?" Shiro whispered as she observed the two young men.

"I don't know," Amaya answered, her own curiosity peaking. "...But I think maybe we'll enjoy it."

On that note, Syo lured Amaya's focus to him by placing his hand delicately on her knee. A tantalizing shudder passed through Amaya's body as Syo slid his fingers up her thigh. "Here, Amaya." He took a single Pirouette stick from the treat and bit into it as a predatory smile played across his lips. He tilted forward, inviting Amaya to take up the other end. Naturally, she did not refuse. Correction, she _could_ not. They drew nearer and nearer until the entirety of the Pirouette was gone and their lips had met.

A small stray cookie crumb remained on the side of Amaya's face when they pulled away. Wasting no time in simply brushing it away, Syo brought her closer yet again and gently licked the crumb away. His large blue eyes kept their alluring edge as he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

Amaya trembled with pleasure. _Is _this_ what he meant by not holding back? _She wondered. _...Not that I'm complaining._

From then on, until both of the treats were completely gone, the group continued on with their sensual little "game". Much to Shiro and Amaya's delight. They received quite a few disapproving stares from young and old folk alike, a few people even got up and walked out of the shop. But they did not let that bother them. By the end of it, the two girls were practically stumbling out of the ice cream shop.

"We should _definitely_ come here more often," Shiro said breathlessly.

"Agreed," Amaya concurred, equally stunned.

Masato and Syo trailed after them, triumphant grins on their faces.

"Well now," Amaya spoke up as she cleared her throat and composed herself, "I'd say that we're off to a good start." She smiled affectionately at Syo as she linked arms with him. "Where can we go now?"

"Hmm...," Shiro hummed in contemplation. Her face lit up as a memory clicked within her mind. "Oh, Hijirikawa-kun! Wasn't there something that you wanted to tell us about?"

"That's right," Masato confirmed. "I can't imagine how I could have forgotten," he said with a chuckle, his face discoloring slightly. "There's going to be a festival tonight. I believe it's called the Firefly Festival. It has all of the typical things you would usually see at a festival, but at the end of the night, hundreds of fireflies are released into the air. I hear its quite a sight."

"That sounds beautiful," Shiro said, seeming to be thinking out loud.

"It does," Amaya sighed in agreement, the tune of her song once again playing in her mind. "I can see it now!" the purple-haired girl exclaimed, closing her eyes and spreading her hands dramatically as a contented smile played across her lips. "Fireflies flitting about like broken pieces of a star that shattered above in the heavens and fell to the earth, couples walking hand and hand as the light swirls around them, drawing them nearer to one another as if the universe itself were silently telling them that they were meant to be! All the rest of the world is lost to them as they connect heart and soul with each other, their devotion and adoration towards one another unmatched by any other within the vastness of this world. So wonderful."

A moment after Amaya finished her odd, spontaneous speech, the sound of clapping hands filled the air. About a dozen or so passersby had apparently stopped to listen to the purple-haired girl's poetic ramblings, and they were quite impressed. Or amused at least.

Amaya jolted at the sound and flushed in embarrassment. _Was that all out loud? _Slowly, Amaya turned her gaze on Syo, half expecting him to be looking at her like she was absolutely insane.

And he was. But a heartbeat later he simply shook his head and chuckled. He pulled her closer to him as the crowd dispersed. "You're cute when you drift off to your own little world like that," he commented lightheartedly.

Amaya's heart jumped and she blushed a fiery red. Ironically, all things considered anyway, she had never really expected the word "cute" to come out of Syo's mouth. Especially after one of the many things he had told her about himself last night.

"_He's always going on about how small and cute I am,"_ Syo had said when Amaya had asked about life with Natsuki for the second time. "_I can't stand it when _anybody_ calls me cute. A man shouldn't be called cute, it's insulting!"_

_ It's a miracle that I never called him cute to his face before, _Amaya thought.

"Then she must be _freaking_ adorable," Shiro added with an exasperated facepalm, bringing Amaya back down to earth.

The purple-haired girl huffed, but any embarrassment she had felt had been dashed by Syo's words. "And don't you forget it!" she proclaimed boldly.

"Anyway," Shiro continued, completely dismissing her friend's insanity for now. "The festival _does_ sound great. If we actually had kimonos to wear, it would be absolutely perfect."

"Well...," Masato spoke up. "We _do_ have a bit of time before the festival actually starts... so we could...," he trailed off and his face took on a reddish hue.

"We could what?" Shiro inquired with a tilt of her head.

"I know of a shop that sells exclusively traditional ware, and it's quite close to the fair grounds..." Masato trailed off again.

"What I think Prince Charming is trying to say is," Amaya cut in brightly, Shiro glaring daggers at her for speaking the infamous nickname, "let's go shopping!"

"Y-yes, that's what I meant," Masato confirmed.

Once they had arrived at the shop that Masato had mentioned, Amaya announced the plan that she had formulated in her head. "Okay, I say that you boys go to one side to look for yukatas, and me and Shiro will go the other to find kimonos. When we all get to the dressing rooms, we can put on what we found and reveal all at once!"

"Wow, you actually had a good idea for once," Shiro commented dryly.

Amaya frowned and raised her finger to retort.

But then unexpectedly, Syo exclaimed, "She has plenty of good ideas!"

The purple-haired girl flushed in pleasant surprise.

"Well then!" Shiro snapped back, quite shocked and indignant.

"I'm just saying, you shouldn't talk to her like that!" Syo argued.

Shiro was about to snap back another retort, but Amaya stole her chance as she rushed forward and hugged Syo graciously. "Syo-kun, you're so sweet for defending me like that!" she gushed as she squeezed him tight. She let go and smiled at him reassuringly. "But Shiro makes fun of me all the time, it's nothing to get too worked up about."

"Oh... okay," Syo said with a sweatdrop.

Amaya repressed a squeal of delight caused by his adorable, baffled expression. "Syo-kun, you're so c-..." her next word halted in her throat. She slapped her hand over her mouth and cautiously lowered it a few seconds later. "C-... um, considerate!" _Yea, let's go with that!_ "But uhh.. err... um, let's go Shiro!" Amaya exclaimed as she grasped her friend by the arm. "If we don't start now we might never find the right kimono!"

"Okay, just stop dragging me!" Shiro whined as Amaya pulled her into the shop. "I can walk ya know!"

The two guys stood alone outside of the shop for a few moments, quite befuddled as they watched the interaction between their less than normal dates.

"Well," Masato began as he finally began to walk forward, casting a glance at Syo, "that was unnecessarily gallant."

"Shut up," Syo muttered irritably as he followed the traditionalist inside, a touch of pink clouding his face.

About half an hour later, they all met up outside of the dressing rooms. Girl's rooms on one side and boy's rooms on the other. "Okay, so we wait until we're all ready, and then we'll come out at the same time!" Amaya explained.

With that, everyone went to their respective rooms to change clothes. But as Amaya stood there with the kimono she had picked out, in her hands, and the rest of her clothes at her feet, she realized that she had never worn a kimono before. "Oh crap," she groaned to herself. She tried to figure out how to put the garment on, but failed time and time again. Meanwhile, everyone else called out one by one that they were ready.

"Amaya," Shiro groaned. "We're waiting."

"Just a freaking minute!" Amaya snapped in frustration.

"Is there something wrong?" Syo inquired with concern.

"No!" Amaya pulled the kimono off once more and glared at it as if wishing that it would burst into flames. She pounded on the wall next to her where Shiro was waiting. "Shiro! How the hell do you put this thing on?!" she whined in defeat.

Shiro sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'll be there in a second."

Amaya heard the faint sound of Syo chuckling across the way. The purple-haired girl blushed crimson. _I guess I'll consider that payback for this morning,_ she thought with a sheepish grin. Her frustration dissipated slightly as Shiro came into her dressing room, already dressed in her own kimono. "Oh, you look nice," Amaya commented cheerfully. "Now help me with this damn thing!"

"Okay, stand still," Shiro ordered.

After a few moments of silence, both Masato and Syo could hear Amaya's gasps of distress. "Shiro that hurts! I can't breathe!"

"Just stay still!"

"I _am_ staying still! You're just being too rough!"

"Good!" Shiro snapped as she tightened the garment even more.

Amaya gave a strangled cry. "Gahhh! You're gonna kill me!"

Syo's eyes widened in alarm as he listened to the unsettling noises. "Amaya, are you okay?!" he called out in near panic.

"Oh she's fine," Shiro said dismissively.

"Fine my _ass_! Fix this!" Amaya growled.

"Calm down, I'm not done yet," Shiro explained. With one final tug on the obi, the kimono finally adjusted. "Can you breath now?"

"Yes," Amaya confirmed with one last gasp.

"Good, we don't want you dying on your first date," Shiro chuckled smugly.

"It's _your_ first date too ya know," Amaya pointed out.

"Yea, yea. I'm going back to my room for the big reveal."

Within a few moments, once everyone was back in their dressing rooms, Amaya counted to three and they all stepped out at once.

Everyone seemed to freeze as they stared in awe at their partners, creating a ring of red faces.

Shiro was rendered speechless, but her mind was going a mile a minute as she thought, _OhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygoshOhmygosh... _

Masato was the first of all of them to speak. "You look beautiful Shiro-ch-...san."

"T-thank you, Hijirikawa-kun," Shiro stuttered. "You look handsome as well."

"A-arigato," Masato replied. (a/n Amaya: I'm no weeaboo. But sometimes Japanese is just sexier, you know it's true. Shiro: _So_ true... *squeals like a fangirl*)

_And I thought that Syo-kun was adorable before! _Amaya thought as she blinked in shock. She stepped toward the blond idol, fiddling anxiously with one of the draping sleeves. "So, what do you think, Syo-kun?" she asked hopefully.

Syo's face became a few shades redder. "Amaya you... you..." The blond idol trailed off as he searched his mind for a compliment that would suit the pleasantly eccentric girl before him. Finally, Syo straightened and stood as tall as his stature would allow before finally blurting out the words he had been seeking. "You look like a princess!"

Amaya's eyes grew wide. A huge grin spread across her face and she suddenly began to laugh. Not one of her usual flattered giggles, but a full-on laugh.

A generous amount of blood rushed to his cheeks immediately. _Was that too weird?_ Syo wondered as he looked to the side, draping his hand over his face.

"Oh Syo-kun," Amaya said as her bout of laughter came to an end. "You're just too much." She stepped even closer now and kissed his burning cheek. "And _you_ look incredible as well. So... y-you can be my prince for the day!"

Syo blinked in a moment of shock. But then he simply smiled and kissed her lips, sending fire flowing through both their veins. "Perfect," he whispered.

_Hell yea you are, _Amaya thought as her heart soared above the world."...Ahem, so!" Amaya snapped out of her trance and clapped her hands together, bringing everyone's attention to her. "Well, we should be off now! ...Hmm, can we just pull the tags off these things and wear them until the end of the festival?" she suggested, gesturing to her kimono. "I don't want to bother with trying to put this on again," she groaned.

"Yea, sure. Let's go," Shiro agreed. As the group made their way to the counter, Shiro turned to Masato and said, "Hijirikawa-kun, do you think you can untie my obi tonight when we get back to the Academy? It's much harder to take it off than it is to put it on."

"Oh... um, s-sure," Masato consented, blushing at the thought.

"They're even _harder_ to take _off_?!" Amaya exclaimed in disbelief, not even bothering to tease Shiro about her sudden lack of prudeness. "Oh _joy_!"

"Don't worry about it now. We can figure it out after the festival," Syo said with a reassuring smile as he took her hand.

The corners of Amya's lips turned up sweetly with gratitude. That is, until her imagination went rampant, causing her eyes to widen considerably. _Syo-kun is going to help... undress me?!_ Her face glowed and she squeezed Syo's hand tightly as she tried to suppress her impure thoughts.

Syo flinched at the crushing force. "Ow! Amaya what-" the small idol stopped in mid-sentence as he recognized the look on her face. Amaya could feel his own body heat intensify a moment later. "Nevermind," he muttered, grinning slightly despite his fluster.

"Stopthinkingwhateveryourthinking!" Amaya snapped as comical tears ran down her crimson face. Though she was not quite sure if she was referring to Syo or herself. "Oh look, we're next in line!" she blurted desperately. _It would help if I hadn't already seen him half naked last night_, Amaya thought as she fumbled for her wallet.

But Syo stopped her before she could take out any money, placing his hand over hers. "I don't think so," he said playfully. "I'll take care of this."

Amaya's blinked in surprise. "Syo-kun... are you sure? I wouldn't want to-"

Syo swallowed her words in another heart-pumping kiss. "I'm sure," he insisted. Despite his somewhat rough voice, his words were as smooth as a river-worn stone.

"Well... o-okay," Amaya breathed. She looked down to see that Syo had already taken her tag from her hand. She had simply been too entranced by the kiss to even take notice before. A small squeal escaped her as she wrapped her arms around his slender but strong shoulders. _What a man,_ she thought with a contended sigh. (a/n Amaya: Whatta man whatta man whatta mighty good man~! Yes he iiiis~ ...okay I'll stop now... *squeeeee!*)

But much of the romance in their moment was lost once again as they recognized the sound of Shiro and Masato bickering behind them.

"Let me pay for my own at least, Hijirikawa-kun!" Shiro demanded firmly.

"No, I'm paying! I insist!" Masato retorted.

"I'm more than capable of paying for this, and anything else in this entire store!"

"That doesn't matter!"

Amaya and Syo sweatdropped at the display, but withheld their snarky comments for now.

"The age of chivalry was a long time ago, Hijirikawa-kun!" Shiro countered. "I am an independent woman and I can-"

Masato reached forward and gently and cupped Shiro's chin in his hand. "I know," he said soothingly. "And I respect that. But you're worth more to me than any amount of money. Please... just let me do this so that I can show you at least an infinitely small fraction of what you mean to me."

"Okay," Shiro squeaked, utterly powerless under Masato's gaze.

He carefully slipped the tag from her hand and brought it to the counter, with no protest from Shiro whatsoever.

Amaya whistled in amazement. "Alright Prince Charming!" she cheered, giving Masato a hilariously exaggerated round of applause.

Masato pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head in exasperation. "Please stop, I'm not exactly proud of that."

"Yea, that _was_ kind of a dirty trick," Syo observed as he casually placed his yen on the counter.

An arrow of guilt sliced through Masato.

Amaya laughed. "_You're_ one to talk, Syo-kun," she accused as she fiddled playfully with one of his gorgeous blonde locks.

Syo smirked mischievously, not showing the slightest hint of denial.

"You think you would have _some_ shame," Masato said with a disapproving frown.

"Yeesh, so serious. You and Shiro really _are_ perfect for each other," Amaya commented, bringing a blush to Masato's face. "I don't know what this says about me, but I actually enjoy little 'plays' like that. And I'm pretty sure Shiro secretly does as well. Am I right, Shiro? ...Shiro?" Amaya glanced to the side to see that her friend was still frozen in a daze. "Shiiiiirrroooo?" She waved her hand in front of Shiro's face, but it had no effect. "Uhh... I think you broke her, Prince Charming."

"Hmm?" Masato looked back as the clerk handed him his receipt, and empty bags for their normal clothes. Warmth arose in his face as he saw Shiro's still-catatonic state. "Well... I suppose it can't be helped," he said. With that, he walked over and literally swept Shiro off her feet. A wave of sweet nostalgia washed over him as he remembered that first cherished time that he had held her this way. The very same situation that had earned him his nickname from Amaya. That time seemed like it had been so long ago now. But Shiro was no less beautiful to him now than she had been back then. If anything, she was even more brilliant.

"Aww, how sweet," Amaya cooed.

Syo glared daggers into Masato's back. _I guess our game hasn't ended yet. _"I could do that too ya know!" he blurted out suddenly.

Amaya smiled and shook her head. "You don't have to, Syo-kun."

_The hell I don't_, he thought. Syo wrapped his arm around Amaya's waist and hoisted her off the ground with rather surprising ease.

Amaya's heart quickened. "So strong," she gasped subconsciously.

"It's really no trouble," Syo said with a victorious smirk.

"Take me away, my prince," the purple-haired girl sighed contently as she clung tight, quick to surrender. (a/n Amaya: Now if I had just left out the "away" part... *slapped*)

The store clerk looked on in utter confusion at the two odd couples as they left the shop at last. His boss, a mild-mannered elderly man with a mustache shuffled in from the back office. "Did I just hear an old married couple and a pair of newlyweds come through here just now?" he asked.

"N-no sir," the clerk answered. "They all looked like they were in high school."

"How strange," his boss commented casually. "...But stranger things have happened here."

"They have?" the clerk asked in semi-horror.

"You've only been working here for two weeks. Just wait until a group of American tourists come in," the elderly man laughed. "Then you'll really get a show!"

"What?!" (a/n Both: Random extras moment, because why the fuck not?)

When the two couples were about halfway to the festival grounds, Shiro was finally starting to come to. A bolt of panic struck her as she realized that her feet were not on the ground. "Don't drop me!" she shouted frantically. When she recognized the gravity of her situation, her face burned with heat. "Um, Hijirikawa-kun, you can put me down now."

"I do not think I can in good conscience," Masato said calmly. "Back in the Feudal era, a princesses' feet were to never touch the ground," he explained.

"Um... okay," Shiro said, wondering what that had to do with anything. "Are you sure I'm not too heavy?" she asked meekly.

Masato smiled warmly. "You are as light a feather, my princess."

Shiro's heart fluttered. "People are staring," she whimpered.

"I too would stare if I saw someone carrying someone as beautiful as you," Masato said tenderly.

Shiro clung to him ever-tighter as her face became even hotter.

_And she says that Ren infected _me, Amaya thought with a smirk.

An irritated vein ticked in Syo's temple as he and Amaya listened to it all. "Damnit, stop stealing my thunder," he grumbled.

Amaya cuddled closer to him and purred, "He didn't steal _anything_, Syo-kun."

Syo blushed and tightened his grip on her. "R-right."

Amaya bit down hard on the inside of her cheek to prevent another arising squeal from escaping. _If I didn't know better, I'd think he was being this cute on purpose. _

A few minutes later, the four of them finally arrived at the fair grounds. "Will you please put me down now?" Shiro begged as she hid her face in Masato's chest.

Masato paused in contemplation. "...Alright," he surrendered, at last easing her to the ground.

Shiro sighed with relief.

Amaya did not bother with pleading before jumping out of Syo's arms, looking around excitedly at the rows upon rows of booths and events. "Whoa! Look at that! And that! And... whoa, we _gotta_ try those! And... holy crap! What are those?!" she babbled eagerly.

Syo blinked in bewilderment, his arms were extended as if Amaya was still cradled there. But he simply let them fall to his sides a moment later. _Well, she's certainly excited,_ he thought with an exasperated sigh.

Once the purple-haired girl noticed his expression, she calmed herself. _Get it together, girl,_ she reminded herself, a brief wave of embarrassment washing over her. Amaya took Syo's hands and kissed him sweetly. "Such an amazing place. And I wouldn't have made it here without my amazing prince," she regarded gratefully.

Brilliant red graced Syo's cheeks again as his prideful visage returned as well. "Like I said, no trouble," he assured with a nonchalant grin.

"You have a perfectly functioning pair of legs, Amaya," Shiro pointed out flatly, suddenly reverting back to her stern self to kill the magic of the moment. "You could have easily walked here without him carrying you."

"Thank. You. Shiro," Amaya half-snarled sarcastically.

"You're welcome," Shiro replied dryly. "Excuse me a minute, I'll be right back," the tinsel-haired girl said politely as she walked towards the restroom area.

Masato looked off in her direction longingly as she walked away, silently begging her to return quickly. But then he jumped slightly in surprise as a slender but forceful hand landed on his shoulder.

"By the way, Prince Charming," Amaya said, seeming to have appeared right next to him suddenly. "I guess I should have told you earlier, but Shiro sort of has a fear of being carried," Amaya explained with more enjoyment in her tone than she intended.

"N-nani?!"

"Yea, she wasn't able to tell you when you first met, since she was unconscious and all," Amaya continued casually. "Not to mention practically catatonic a few minutes ago. But something about feeling nothing beneath her feet really freaks her out."

"So I... frightened her?" Masato asked nervously.

"I'd say more along the lines of absolutely petrified, but yea," Amaya confirmed. "Don't worry, I'm sure she probably doesn't mind," she added brightly to ease his torment.

"Amaya, you're enjoying yourself too much," Syo commented with a chuckle.

"Then why are you laughing too?" she teased back.

Masato ignored both of them as he ran his fingers through his hair, in shock at the terrible sin he had committed.

A few far-too-long minutes later Shiro returned, and was quite surprised when Masato threw himself to his knees and bowed apologetically to her. "I'm so sorry!"

"What?" Shiro inquired as she looked down at him in confusion. She turned her baffled expression upon Amaya, who simply shrugged innocently. With a less than innocent grin, of course.

"I'm sorry I frightened you," Masato continued more gently. "I didn't know you had a fear of being carried. I should have been more attentive."

"I-it's okay, Hijirikawa-kun," Shiro whispered meekly as she ground her toe nervously into the dirt. "If I really didn't want to be carried, then I should have said something. ...Besides, it was... enjoyable."

Masato's face grew warm, as well as his heart. But he still could not bring himself to look up at Shiro.

After another lingering moment, Shiro lowered herself down to her knees as well and tried to catch his eye. "Hijirikawa-kun?"

At last, their eyes met. Masato simply could not help but to wrap Shiro in a sweet embrace.

Shiro gasped in pleasant surprise as she grew warmer. Finally, abandoning all inhibitions, she nuzzled comfortably into his shoulder.

Masato's blush deepened and he helped Shiro to her feet. "We should stand," he said shyly. "You'll get your kimono dirty."

"O-okay," Shiro whispered thinly, still leaning close into him.

"Natsuki would have a field day taking pictures of this," Syo thought out loud with a shake of his head.

"Well, it _is_ a sweet moment," Amaya concurred. Her smile was a mix of amusement and genuine sincerity. "A moment like this involving an ice queen like Shiro. Who knew?"

"I heard that," Shiro grumbled.

"Oh pardon me," Amaya giggled. "Ice _princess_."

A vein pulsed irritably in Shiro's forehead. But all her anger dissipated immediately when Masato gave her another reassuring squeeze.

"Now come on, all of you!" Amaya exclaimed eagerly. "We have a festival to enjoy!"

END AUTHOR'S NOTE: Shiro: Hey what's up!? Well that was a chapter filled with ovary explosions.

Amaya: Once again, this chapter was supposed to go on for even longer, but it has already taken us _way_ too long to get the ball rolling with this damn thing.

Shiro: Yea, like _months_.

Amaya: So this is yet again only half a chapter, or at least most of one. The next chapter will basically be the rest of the date, along with some other fun stuff that happens afterward. Again, I'm really sorry that plot has taken a backseat to fun, suggestive and cutesy antics. But there _will_ be a plot later! Kinda. Hopefully.

Shiro: Perhaps.

Amaya: A lot of you may already have an idea of what is to come, but don't cringe yet. It's not nearly as dumb as it sounds, haha. Please don't give it away in the reviews though. We want to at least fool _some_ of you.

Shiro: Yea, like magic people!

Amaya: ...Like what now?

Shiro: Ya know, magic people! Illusionists!

Amaya: Riiiight... anyway! We even came up with a fuckload of fun new characters! You won't be seeing them until at least two more chapters, but we have grown to love them so much that we just might have an original spin-off series about them on our deviantart page one of these days. Of course, with all the crap going on in our lives, who the holy fuck knows when that will be? Bear with us please, we're trying. T_T

Shiro: We're trying so hard! TmT

Amaya: By the way, when I mention that me and Syo-kun talked about certain things that weren't actually in previous chapters, that's because it would have taken too long to cover everything. So it simply happened off screen... er off ...page?

Shiro: Let's go with that! Anyway, we'll see you next time! ...Whenever the hell that will be...


End file.
